Health and Social Care Structures

NHS Scotland is made up of 14 regional NHS Boards, seven national NHS Boards and one public health body. Each NHS Board is accountable to the Scottish Government. Regional NHS Boards are responsible for the protection and the improvement of their population's health and for the delivery of frontline healthcare services. National NHS Boards support the regional NHS Boards by providing a range of important specialist and national services.

NHS Orkney is the smallest territorial health board in Scotland and is responsible for the health care of the population of Orkney, which is made up of approximately 21,500 people. It employs around 620 staff and provides a comprehensive range of primary, community-based and acute hospital services.