It's been 10 years since Forth Valley Royal Hospital opened its doors and welcomed its first patients - and today it was marked with a small celebration.
Staff gathered outside the building in Larbert with balloons to celebrate the special anniversary.
They even received a letter from The Queen, who opened the hospital back in 2011, sending her best wishes to all who work there.
But sadly celebrations couldn't be as big as everyone would have liked due to coronavirus restrictions.
Nearly 100,000 operations have been carried out, 1.1 million patients have attended outpatient appointments and around 30,000 babies have been welcomed into the world over the last ten years.
Karen, Mcfarlane, Interim Department Manager for Paediatrics, NHS Forth Valley, said it was amazing to think that the tiny babies born in 2011 were now almost ready to move on to secondary schools.
She explained: "It’s lovely to see some of our very first arrivals and hear about how they have grown and developed over the last ten years. It’s also great to hear that one of them still treasures the toy bunny and Forth Valley First vest which they received when they were born."
From the outset Forth Valley Royal Hospital embraced the use of new technology and was the first hospital in the UK to use a fleet of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to deliver a wide range of supplies to hospital wards.
These ‘robotic’ vehicles, which resemble mini fork lift trucks, travel in their own separate corridors and lifts carrying bed linen, meals, clinical waste and medical supplies.
Other innovations included a fully robotic pharmacy system, capable of labelling medicines as well as stocking supplies and picking up drugs and a robotic mail sorting system.
Robotic equipment is also used to help clean the hospital’s 16 hi-tech operating theatres.
NHS Forth Valley’s Chief Executive, Cathie Cowan, said: "Despite the many challenges of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic over the last 18 months, staff have gone above and beyond to maintain vital services, support each other and care for local patients and their families.
"Although large scale celebrations weren’t possible due to the pandemic, many of the staff who have worked at the hospital since it opened have been sharing their memories to mark this special day."
