Healthcare Improvement Scotland

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Healthcare Improvement Scotland

The purpose of Healthcare Improvement Scotland is to enable the people of Scotland to experience the best quality of health and social care.

We believe that every person in Scotland should receive the best care possible every time We have five key priorities. These are areas where we believe we can make the most impact and where we focus our efforts and resources.

1. Enabling people to make informed decisions about their care and treatment.
2. Helping health and social care organisations to redesign and continuously improve services.

3. Provide evidence and share knowledge that enables people to get the best out of the services they use and helps services improve.
4. Provide quality assurance that gives people confidence in the services and supports providers to improve.
5. Making the best use of resources, we aim to ensure every pound invested in our work adds value to the care people receive.

03/09/2026

What matters most to people using maternity services in Scotland?

Our organisation has published a new report that highlights the experiences, priorities and ideas for improvement shared by women, parents and families with recent experience of NHS maternity services.

People told us that feeling listened to, respected and supported is central to a positive maternity experience, alongside safe, high-quality care. They also highlighted the importance of good communication, continuity of care and better postnatal support.

The findings will help inform the Scottish Government's Independent Review of Maternity Services.

Link to the report is in the comments.

02/09/2026

You're invited to observe our next Board meeting.

If you would like to see how our Board makes the decisions that shape our work, come along to our next meeting.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday 23 September 2026, at 10:30am. It is being held at Delta House, 50 West Nile Street, Glasgow G1 2NP or you can join online via MS Teams

Papers will be available on our website in advance of the meeting.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Registration link in the comments.

31/08/2026

Our responsive support service gives you access to expert advice, tools and practical help, to engage more effectively with people and communities.

Our colleagues at Public Health Scotland (PHS) were keen to find a robust approach to effectively evaluate the experiences of staff and patients, taking part in a latent Tuberculosis (TB) Screening pilot, which provides access to screening and treatment pathways for vulnerable migrant populations at increased risk of TB.

They wanted to explore practical ways of capturing participant feedback and reached out to the Engagement Practice Responsive Support service.

With the pilot being time limited, they needed an approach that would be effective for both participants and the project team. During a scoping discussion, we explored ways to gather feedback including consideration of language needs and accessibility.

The team at HIS provided tailored advice and signposting to resources, including the Scottish Approach to Change, Discovery Conversations and Care Opinion translation services, as well as examples of conversation planning and visual journey mapping.

The support helped them identify practical ways to structure their approach to evaluation of the service, strengthened their plans to understand participant experiences and demonstrate the impact of the pilot.

Lisa Taylor, Programme Portfolio Manager at PHS said: “I gained valuable practical knowledge from the team at HIS. They asked really thought-provoking questions in the context of the screening pilots and provided lots of tailored responses that I could consider within the context of my tight timelines and screening cohorts. They showed understanding of the challenging work we are undertaking and were both extremely knowledgeable.”

Link in comments.

27/08/2026

Are you interested in ensuring the people of Scotland receive the best quality of health and care? Can you dedicate some of your free time to help with this important work?

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is looking for a volunteer to help develop evidence-based advice and guidance.

This voluntary position, known as public partner, will help us in our work with the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG).

The SHTG is a national health technology assessment agency providing advice to NHS Scotland. They look at the use of new and existing health technologies that are likely to have significant implications for people’s care in Scotland.

We are looking for someone to weigh up complex evidence to reach an objective and impartial conclusion, as a member of the SHTG Council and the Evidence Review Team. SHTG Public Partners provide public perspectives, ensuring these viewpoints are considered in recommendations made to NHS Scotland on health technologies.

Meetings for both the SHTG Council and the Evidence Review Team take place six times each year and last between three to four hours per meeting. All meetings are held virtually using MS Teams. The role requires significant preparation time to read meeting papers before meetings.

The expected time commitment for this role is roughly eight hours per month. However, this will vary depending on topics and need. You must live in Scotland to be a public partner. While the role of public partner is voluntary, expenses will be paid in line with Healthcare Improvement Scotland Policy.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates. We particularly welcome people from minority ethnic backgrounds, younger age groups and who consider themselves disabled. These groups are currently under-represented in our work.

To request an application pack, email the Equality Inclusion and Human Rights team: [email protected]

The closing date is Monday 7 September. Interviews will be held week commencing 21 September.

Link in the comments to find out more.

26/08/2026

Our joint review with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland has now been published. This highlights progress made against recommendations from previous police custody inspections and key national themes across police custody services in Scotland.

Link in comments.

24/08/2026

Our latest joint inspection with the Care Inspectorate, looking at the East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, has been published.

Link in comments.

19/08/2026

You're invited to observe our Board meeting.

If you would like to see how our Board makes the decisions that shape our work, come along to our next meeting.

📅 Wednesday 23 September 2026
🕥 10:30am
📍 Delta House, 50 West Nile Street, Glasgow G1 2NP or join online via MS Teams

Papers will be available on our website in advance of the meeting.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Registration link in the comments.

13/08/2026

We’ve published our domestic homicide and su***de review draft standards and we want to hear your views.

Domestic homicide and su***de reviews aim to learn lessons following a death where abuse is known or suspected.

We welcome your feedback on the draft standards and encourage you to take part in our consultation.

Find out more at the link in the comments.

Community Justice Scotland Aberlour Children's Charity Iriss AMIS

10/08/2026

Effective engagement leads to better decisions, services and outcomes.

Our responsive support service can help you involve people and communities with confidence, providing access to expert advice, practical tools and tailored support every step of the way.

Link in comments.

06/08/2026

If you work in NHS Scotland and have a concern, it’s important to speak up.

We've published updated guidance for NHS staff on speaking up in NHS Scotland.

Speaking up means reporting risks of harm and calling out issues that could affect others.

Read our updated guidance at the link in the comments.

Address

1 South Gyle Crescent
Edinburgh
EH129EB

Website

https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/

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