Prof Catherine Ross, Chief Scientific Officer is pleased to share with you the second paper in the Healthcare Science in Scotland series – Healthcare Science in Scotland: Redefining Our Workforce which was published in October 2025.
The publication sets out how we will now define our healthcare science (HCS) workforce in Scotland, enabling it to be more visible and valued so that it can be better considered and utilised in the planning and delivery of services and therefore support improved outcomes for our population.
Healthcare scientists play a vital role in delivering safe, effective, and innovative care across NHS Scotland. This paper details the areas where healthcare science can be better aligned with wider health policy, such as the Scottish Government’s Service Renewal Framework. It recognises the role of the profession in advancing prevention, digital transformation, personalised care, and population health planning and underlines the need for greater visibility and understanding of the profession to deliver on the commitments for NHS renewal.
The Scottish Government will now work with NHS Boards to apply consistent naming conventions across professional groupings, specialisms and levels of practice – in line with what has been set out in this paper. This will not only help to strengthen professional identity, it will also enable the collection of robust and accurate data on the scientific workforce as staff will be recorded correctly within systems according to the new classifications. This will
support future planning and decision making around key areas such as planning for workforce and education.
Prof Catherine Ross is delighted that this paper also introduces the requirement for specific leadership for healthcare science at a local level through the appointment of a Scientific Director in each NHS Board. There is significant benefit to be brought about to services, and ultimately our population, through the introduction of these posts and not least, an opportunity to strengthen safety and governance whilst supporting improved ways of working which are future focused and fully utilise the skills of our scientific workforce.
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