NHS HIGHLAND: Your input can help our services meet your needs

Public services like health and social care are paid for by public money, so it’s really important that we are accountable for what we spend and how we perform.

Equally, we need to show that we have listened to people to find out what they need and shaped services to fit. Being open and transparent about how we are doing helps us to improve.

Each year, health boards like NHS Highland have a ministerial annual review, when a Scottish Government minister visits to learn about our performance. For the past few years, due to the Covid pandemic, these reviews have been held virtually. I’m really pleased that this year we will be returning to a face-to-face event involving the public, as this gives everyone a chance to get involved.

Our review is on September 29 and will be held at the Centre for Health Science in Inverness. The visiting minister is Jenni Minto MSP, minister for public health and women’s health. These are both really important topics for us, but she will be looking at all services covered by NHS Highland, so there are lots of other areas we will be talking about too.

Ms Minto will meet in the morning with clinicians, trade union and other colleague representatives, and community stakeholders. At 2pm, there will be a meeting open to the public, which will also be available to view online – we’ll share details of how to join online nearer the time. This will be in the auditorium of the Centre for Health Science, and I’d love to see as many of you as possible there to hear from myself and our chair as we answer your questions. There’s no need to book, just come along on the day.

While people attending virtually won’t be able to ask questions on the day, you can send questions in advance and the minister will choose a selection of these to answer.

Please send questions to nhsh.listening@nhs.scot with annual review in the subject line, by August 31 or post to FREEPOST RUAK-JGSH-TUUL , Clinical Effectiveness Team, NHS Highland (Annual Review – Community Engagement Team), Assynt House, Beechwood Park, Inverness IV2 3BW.

We need your input to make sure our services are meeting the needs of people in the Highlands and Argyll and Bute, so write in and share your comments, suggestions and feedback. With growing demands on public services, we need to work together with communities and change the way some services are delivered. The annual review is a great opportunity to start a conversation about how we might do that. I look forward to seeing you there.

Pamela Dudek is chief executive of NHS Highland.

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