Responsibility for the NHS in Scotland is a devolved matter and rests with the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government sets national objectives and priorities for the NHS and signs delivery plans with each NHS Board and Special NHS Board, monitoring their performance.
NHS Boards in Scotland are currently all purpose organisations: they plan, commission and deliver NHS services and take overall responsibility for the health of their populations. There are 14 NHS Boards covering the whole of Scotland, supported by 7 National or Special NHS Boards. Work on integrating health and social care has made progress with Integration Joint Boards in place across Scotland; however the pace and efficiency of change is reported by clinicians to vary quite widely between different geographical areas.
