The culture of the National Health Service in Scotland  and the way this impacts on patients is to be investigated by MSPs on the Health and Sport Committee, who are asking NHS staff for their views.

Challenges Facing Orkney Health and Care 

As reported in The Orkney News, the way health and social care services are being delivered is changing: Challenges Facing Orkney Health and Care  and this affects not just those being cared for but also those doing the caring.

The Health and Sport committee of the Scottish Parliament is now looking for the views of staff working in the SNHS.

Convener of the Health and Sport Committee Neil Findlay MSP said:

“The culture of the NHS has a fundamental impact on how our NHS is run and the quality of the services it provides. That there is an environment where staff are supported, empowered and feel confident about speaking out about issues they experience will be a major focus of this work.”

“NHS staff are passionate about providing the best care they can. We are keen to hear the views of those who work in the NHS in Scotland. By hearing from people on the ground it will give us a much better idea about what is happening in our NHS up and down the country.”

The Committee is asking for views on the following issues:

• Does the NHS adequately implement the requirements of the staff governance standard?
• Are there particular areas of the standard that it implements well?
• Are there particular areas of the standard that are not implemented?

NHS boards have a duty to demonstrate that staff are: well informed, appropriately trained and developed, involved in decisions, treated fairly and consistently and provided with a continuously improving and safe working environment. The Committee is interested in exploring how well this is working across the country.

If you would like to contribute your views on working in the Scottish National Health Service send in your submission no later than Wednesday 15 March 2017.

Responses should be sent, wherever possible, electronically and in MS Word format to:  healthandsport.committee@scottish.parliament.uk

Hard copy responses may be sent to:  Health and Sport Committee, T3.60, Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP

Responses should be no more than four sides of A4 in length.

Before making a submission, please read  Policy on Treatment of Written Evidence by Subject and Mandatory Committees.