NHS National Services Scotland (NSS)

About NHS National Services Scotland

NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) provides a diverse range of support services across Scotland to ensure that frontline patient care is delivered effectively.

NSS works at the very heart of the health service providing direct services, such as blood transfusion and health screening, delivering support services that are crucial to the effective operation of NHS Scotland. Our business is health and everything that underpins the modern NHS.

Our wide range of services are provided through our specialised Strategic Business Units. All our Strategic Business Units are supported by the NSS Headquarters Unit which provides leadership, governance and support services to NSS and other NHS Scotland bodies.

Strategic and Support Business Units:

Procurement, Commissioning and Facilities Strategic Business Unit comprising:-

National Procurement

National Procurement (NP) is NHS Scotland's centre of procurement expertise, established as part of the wider procurement reform activity across the Scottish Public Sector. NP’s mission is to increase savings and maximise health input whilst improving supply chain effectiveness and procurement capability. Through Logistics, Sourcing, eProcurement and Programme Management teams, NP have ensured that the combined buying power of NHSScotland has delivered savings to date of over £150 million that can be reinvested back into front line patient care.

Please click on the link for further information - National Procurement

Health Facilities Scotland

Health Facilities Scotland (HFS) provides operational guidance to NHSScotland bodies on a range of healthcare facilities topics. HFS deliver and co-ordinate effective advice and support in relation to national facilities, decontamination and equipping and technical matters which support and improve health and well-being services. HFS work closely with the Scottish Government and NHSScotland Health Boards to establish professional and technical standards and best practices.

Please click on the link for further information - Health Facilities Scotland

National Services division

National Services division (NSD) is responsible for commissioning and performance managing National Screening Programmes, Specialist Clinical Services and National Managed Clinical Networks on behalf of NHSScotland. The division co-ordinates a range of cancer screening programmes and pregnancy and newborn screening programmes across Scotland. The specialist services commissioned by NSD are crucial to the diagnosis and treatment of rare conditions including cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate and spinal injuries. NSD funds a number of Specialist and Specialised Services in England on behalf of NHS Boards and manages risk-sharing arrangements in areas of very high cost for individual patients.

Please click on the link for further information - National Services division

Public Health and Intelligence Strategic Business Unit comprising:-

Information Services division

Scotland has some of the best health service data in the world. Few other countries have information which combines high quality data, consistency, national coverage and the ability to link data to allow patient based analysis and follow up. The Information Services division provides health information, health intelligence, statistical services and advice that support the NHS in progressing quality improvement in health and care and facilitates robust planning and decision making.

Please click on the link for further information - Information Services division

Health Protection Scotland

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) plan and deliver effective and specialist national services which co-ordinate, strengthen and support activities aimed at protecting all the people of Scotland from infectious and environmental hazards. This is done by providing advice, support and information to health professionals, national and local government, the general public and a number of other bodies that play a part in protecting health. HPS works at the very heart of the health service across Scotland, delivering services critical to frontline patient care and supporting the efficient and effective operation of NHSScotland.

Please click on the link for further information - Health Protection Scotland

Blood Tissues and Cells Strategic Business Unit:

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) is the specialist provider of transfusion medicine in Scotland, supplying high quality blood, tissues, cells and services. SNBTS work with communities, hospitals and professionals to ensure that the donor's gift is used wisely and effectively for the benefit of patients. The key priority of SNBTS is to ensure that NHSScotland has enough blood to meet the transfusion needs of patients in Scotland with the responsibility of making sure that blood, tissues and cells are available when patients need them.

Please click on the link for further information – Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

Central Legal Office Strategic Business Unit:

Central Legal Office Strategic Business Unit: The Central Legal Office (CLO) have many years of experience in advising clients across many aspects of the law - litigation, Employment, Commercial Contracts and Commercial Property for example. With close links to the Scottish Government, the Central Legal Office also advise on wider policy issues. CLO take pride in the 'in-house lawyer' service offered to clients, advising of emerging issues to help avoid costs later. Practical experience of working with staff at all levels of the public sector gives CLO an exceptional ability to guide clients through such issues.

Please click on the link for further information - Central Legal Office

Practitioner and Counter Fraud Services Strategic Business Unit comprising:

Practitioner Services

Practitioner Services provide patient focused services such as the transfer of medical records between General Practitioner (GP) practices, assisting patients to access GP and dental practices, as well as assisting practitioners to maintain accurate and up-to-date patient registers. Practitioner Services also have a Clinical Governance role with regard to dental services to make sure services are delivered to high professional standards. Practitioner Services work closely with the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates to develop and implement new services, such as the new Pharmacy Minor Ailment Service, enabling eligible patients to receive advice and medication directly from their pharmacist rather than having to make a GP appointment. Practitioner Services are committed to providing a professional, effective and efficient service to patients and stakeholders.

Please click on the link for further information - Practitioner Services

Counter Fraud Services

Counter Fraud Services (CFS) provide a full service to NHSScotland through a centrally based, professionally qualified team of specialists dedicated only to counter fraud work. Working in partnership with other NHSScotland organisations, CFS have successfully delivered savings in the region of £48 million for the NHS in Scotland. The ultimate aim is to support and improve the services of NHSS helping to ensure that money is deployed for the public good in the effective delivery of frontline services.

Please click on the link for further information - Counter Fraud Services

Scottish Health Service Centre

The Scottish Health Service Centre provide conference facilities, event organising, library and information services and national secretariat services.

Please click on the link for further information - Scottish Health Service Centre

Information Technology Strategic Business Unit

The Information Technology (IT) Strategic Business Unit brings together the externally focussed National Information Systems Group with the other internal NSS IT services, in order to bring increased resilience and reliability to key IT services and bring economies of scale leading to reduced maintenance costs for IT assets and services. The IT SBU manages and delivers Information Management and Technology (IM&T) services to support the NSS Strategic Business Units and Corporate Functions; manages and delivers IM&T services focused on the development and enablement of national level capabilities and manages and delivers IM&T services, systems, data and contracts which enable cross–agency, cross-Board/boundary integration, workflow, information sharing, cost efficiency realisation and collaboration.

Support Business Units as follows:

  • Business Services;
  • Human Resources and Workforce Development;
  • Corporate and Clinical Affairs.

Please click here to find out more about NSS.

Documents for download: