NHS Scotland: Standards of Business Conduct

2. Expectations of NHS Scotland Staff

One of NHS Scotland’s values is Openness, Honesty and Responsibility. The Principles of Conduct within the NHS in Scotland expects staff to:

• ensure that the interest of patients remain paramount at all times.
• be impartial and honest in the conduct of their official business.
• make the best use of the resources entrusted to them.
• demonstrate appropriate ethical standards of personal conduct.

NHS Scotland staff should also ensure that they do not:

• abuse their official position for personal gain or for the benefit of their family or friends.
• seek to advantage or further their interests in the course of their official duties.

NHS Scotland staff who fail to follow this guidance may be subject to potential sanctions, including any combination of internal disciplinary, professional regulatory, civil, or criminal proceedings, as outlined in the Once for Scotland Disciplinary Policy.

2.1 What do we mean by ‘NHS Scotland Staff’?

• NHS Scotland means organisations that are recognised as ‘health bodies’ in the Scottish Government’s national directory of public bodies, apart from the Mental Welfare Commission.
• Employees, or anyone who holds an honorary role, for a health body.
• Secondees to health bodies.
• Anyone engaged to provide advice or expertise to the work of a health body. For example, members of advisory groups or peer reviewers.
• Employees of third-party contractors when they are conducting activities on behalf of the health body. For example, agency staff, locums, and employees of service providers.
• Individuals working as, or for, independent contractors who have been engaged to conduct services for the health body. For example, General Practitioners, Dentists, Ophthalmologists, Pharmacists.
• Employees of any local authority who are involved in carrying out services that the health board has been directed by the integration authority to carry out.
• Anyone who performs services on a voluntary basis for a health body.
• Any individual who would be considered an ‘associated person’ of a health body under Section 8 of the Bribery Act 2010, who hasn’t been accounted for above. In simple terms this is anyone who performs services for, or on behalf of the health body.

‘NHS Scotland staff’ does not include non-executive Board members, if they do not satisfy any of the above criteria. All Board members must observe the Ethical Standards in Public Life (Scotland) Act 2000 and the associated Code of Conduct.