A powerful new short film is taking viewers behind the scenes of NHS Lanarkshire’s Flow Navigation Centre (FNC+Plus) – the team quietly working around the clock to keep care flowing and hospitals focused on the most acutely unwell this winter.
Operating from a control room at Kirklands Headquarters in Bothwell, FNC+Plus connects clinicians from across the system to ensure patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
The film shines a light on the unseen teamwork, clinical insight and compassion that underpin Lanarkshire’s nationally recognised approach to unscheduled care.
Claire Ritchie, Interim Director of the Interface Directorate, said: “What you see in this film is the heartbeat of integrated care – real professionals, from very different backgrounds, pulling together for one purpose: better outcomes for patients. It captures the humanity, urgency and calm expertise that define the Flow Navigation Centre Plus. This is what working as one system truly looks like.”
Within the centre, skilled professionals from across disciplines work side by side – including nurses, administrative staff, Emergency Department consultants, Allied Health Professionals such as physiotherapists, GPs, and Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) colleagues. Together, their combined experience and energy are channelled towards a single focus: ensuring patients receive safe, timely, and person-centred care.
Originally launched during the pandemic as a small GP-led call-facilitation service, FNC+Plus has evolved into a 24/7 multidisciplinary hub handling around 8,000 calls each month. Using real-time information, the team links patients to the most suitable ‘pathways’ – from Hospital at Home and community respiratory teams to mental health, pharmacy, and out-of-hours services – often avoiding the need for hospital admission altogether.
Louise Long, Chief Executive of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “This film shows what compassion and coordination can achieve.
“The Flow Navigation Centre Plus is a shining example of innovation built on people and our values, connecting care, reducing unnecessary hospital attendances and giving patients the dignity of being treated closer to home.
“It’s Lanarkshire at its best: practical, pioneering and deeply human.”
Fact file
• Flow Navigation Centre Plus (FNC+Plus) is a key part of NHS Lanarkshire’s urgent-care system, streamlining unscheduled care and improving flow across hospitals and communities.
• Originally established in 2020 as the Flow Navigation Centre, it was expanded and rebranded as FNC+Plus in April 2024 under the leadership of the Interface Directorate.
• The centre now handles around 8,000 calls per month, coordinating care between NHS 24, GPs, the Scottish Ambulance Service and hospital specialists.
• Typical patient pathways include:
• Hospital at Home and Virtual Wards
• Community respiratory and frailty services
• Mental-health and pharmacy support
• Out-of-hours GP services
