Our culture
We are developing an organisation which reflects our values in all of our work.
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freedom to determine how we work and publish our findings and recommendations
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openness and transparency in everything we do
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working in partnership with patients, the public, health professions and colleagues, and other agencies
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the use of evidence as the foundation for our activities
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the contribution made by all our staff and all those who work with us.
We are committed to supporting these values by following these behaviours:
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demonstrating an open management style, communicating effectively with staff, encouraging innovation and adopting positive attitudes
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promoting continuous learning and improvement of the individual and organisation
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becoming an outward looking organisation, aware of the environment within which we operate
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reducing unnecessary bureaucracy
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embracing our staff charter.
Our subsidiaries
We are an umbrella for other organisations that work to improve the quality of healthcare.
These are:
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the Scottish Health Council (SHC), which monitors NHS boards to make sure they are involving patients and the public in decisions about services, and taking account of their views;
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and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), which advises on the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of all newly licensed medicines.
Woring with NHS staff
We work with NHS boards and their staff and other national NHS bodies such as NHS Education for Scotland and NHS Health Scotland. NHS staff bring invaluable skills, expertise and experiences and are therefore, directly involved in the scoping and development of all our products.
Working with other organisations
We work in partnership with a wide range of other organisations to deliver our objectives. Organisatons such as:
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the Scottish Executive Health Department especially the Centre for Change and Innovation
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other statutory bodies such as Audit Scotland, the Mental Welfare Commission, the Health and Safety Executive, the Commission for Racial Equality, and the Disability Rights commission
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the Scottish Health Council and other organisations representing consumers, such as the Scottish Consumer Council
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voluntary sector bodies involved in the provision of health care and promoting the interests of patients local authority associations, such as COSLA and the Association of Directors of Social Work
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the bodies with regulatory and inspectorial functions in relation to other sectors, such as the Care Commission, the Social Work Inspection Agency, and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education
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the academic and research community.
We also share experience and, where appropriate, work together with equivalent organisations in the UK and beyond, including:
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Healthcare Commission
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Healthcare Inspectorate Wales
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Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
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National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
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National Patient Safety Agency
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Northern Ireland Regulation and Improvement Authority
Further reading
Find out about our staff and units
