We support the NHSScotland workforce to deliver a resilient, efficient and high quality healthcare service.
NHSScotland currently employs approximately 160,000 staff who work across 14 regional NHS Boards, seven Special NHS Boards and one public health body.
All NHS Boards are accountable to Scottish Ministers, supported by the Scottish Government.
Actions
Read about our work in the following sections:
- allied health professionals
- healthcare scientists
- nursing and midwifery
- education and training
- workforce pay and strategy
- workforce planning and projections
- regulation
We also:
- define the uniform policy for the NHSScotland workforce
- have regular dialogue with NHSScotland via the NHS Chairs and NHS Chief Executives meetings
- introduced the staff governance standard framework to improve how NHS Scotland’s diverse workforce is treated
- produced NHSScotland workforce and national Partnership Information Network (PIN) policies which are being reviewed following a workforce policies consultation in April 2019
- continue to support bringing together health and social care through health and social care integration
- support delivery of the transformed school nurse role in order to promote the health of school aged children
More information about our work relating to the following professions is in our primary care services policy :
Information about pharmacy and medicines is in our website archive.
Background
The Healthcare Quality Strategy for 2023 to 2028 is published on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.
We published Everyone Matters: 2020 workforce vision in June 2013 which sets out a vision for the workforce and the values that area shared across NHSScotland.
We subsequently published implementation plans and progress reviews for the workforce vision.
Bills and legislation
The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019
The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 provides a statutory basis for the provision of appropriate staffing in health and care service settings, enabling safe and high quality care and improved outcomes for service users. It will do this by ensuring that the right people with the right skills are in the right place at the right time creating better outcomes for patients and service users, and supporting the wellbeing of staff.
We published an overview of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 for those who will be affected by it (health professionals and care service providers) to inform them of their responsibilities and signpost to support available.
We published statutory guidance to support this Act in 2024.
NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004
The NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 brought forward legislation to reform the National Health Service. It did this by:
- introducing provisions in relation to the dissolution of NHS Trusts
- establishing Community Health Partnerships
- placing a duty on health boards to co-operate with each other
- extending Ministerial powers to intervene to secure the quality of healthcare services
- placing a duty on health boards and special health boards to involve the public in the planning, development and operation of health services
- placing a duty on the Scottish Ministers and health boards to take action to promote health improvement.
The Act also includes provisions in relation to the governance of NHS staff as well as the promotion of equal opportunities in the NHS.
Contact
Email: ceu@gov.scot