Improving the quality of care and treatment delivered by NHS Scotland. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland helps NHS Boards improve patient care by: providing advice, guidance and setting standards supporting implementation and improvement assessing, measuring and reporting the performance of NHS Board's. We also have central responsibility for patient safety and clinical governance across NHSScotland.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) develops evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland. SIGN guidelines are derived from a systematic review of the scientific literature and are designed as a vehicle for accelerating the translation of new knowledge into action to meet our aim of reducing variations in practice, and improving patient-important outcomes.

The remit of the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is to provide advice to NHS Boards and their Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees (ADTCs) across Scotland about the status of all newly licensed medicines, all new formulations of existing medicines and new indications for established products (licensed from January 2002). This advice will be made available as soon as practical after the launch of the product involved. The remit of SMC excludes the assessment of vaccines, branded generics, non-prescription-only medicines (POMs), blood products, plasma substitutes and diagnostic drugs. The review of device-containing medicines will be confined to those licensed as medicines by the MHRA/EMEA.

The Scottish Government Health Directorate is responsible both for NHSScotland and for the development and implementation of health and community care policy. The Chief Executive of NHSScotland leads the central management of the NHS, is accountable to ministers for the efficiency and performance of the service,and heads the Health Department which oversees the work of the 14 NHS Boards responsible for planning health services for people in their area, The Scottish Government Health Directorate also has responsibility for: The Scottish Ambulance Service which serves all of Scotland and is a Special NHS Board funded directly by the Scottish Government Health Directorate, NHS 24 which provides 24-hour telephone access to medical advice from clinical professionals, the State Hospital at Carstairs which cares for patients who require treatment under conditions of special security. NHS Health Scotland which promotes positive attitudes to health and encourages healthy lifestyles.

Using the e-Library Why use the e-Library? The NHS Scotland e-Library is a valuable online information service, providing high quality knowledge support to underpin effective health care delivery and support the patient journey. Getting Started with the e-Library Get more help from the Information Literacy Portal View the help pages Courses to help you get the most from the e-Library

Together we can stamp out fraud NHSScotland Counter Fraud Services (CFS) provide a full service to NHSScotland (NHSS) through a centrally based, professionally qualified team of specialists dedicated only to counter fraud work. Working in partnership with other NHSS organisations, we have successfully delivered savings in the region of £20 million for the NHS in Scotland. Our 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 as you, the taxpayer, intended. With your help, we can work together to stamp out fraud in the NHSS.