Scottish Government

Foreword

Staff governance focuses on how NHSScotland staff are managed, and feel they are managed, by one of Scotland's largest employers. It makes up the third pillar of the governance framework (alongside clinical and financial governance) within which NHS Boards, Special Health Boards and NHS National Services Scotland ( NSS - formerly the Common Services Agency) must operate.

NHSScotland's commitment to staff governance has been reinforced by the legislative underpinning within the NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004, which ensures parity with the other two governance pillars. The Staff Governance Standard is the key policy document to support the legislation which aims to improve how NHSScotland's diverse workforce is treated at work.

Work to achieve the set standard is ongoing, and NHS employers must demonstrate that they are striving to both achieve and maintain exemplary employer status. In order to be able to do this, they will be expected to have systems in place to identify areas that require improvement and to develop action plans that will describe how improvements will be made.

Staff governance and its underpinning in legislation is a major achievement for NHSScotland, and a first for the United Kingdom. The development and implementation of this Standard demonstrates the proactive approach of trade unions and professional organisations, NHS employers and the Scottish Executive Health Department ( SEHD) to modernising employment practices based on the concept of partnership working.

This third edition was developed to take into account the revised national partnership structures. It aims to build on the progress made in previous editions by reflecting changes as NHSScotland continues to evolve. We are determined that all staff across NHSScotland should continue to benefit from the positive changes that this Standard can bring to their working lives. We also recognise that investment in staff is a ect investment in patient care, by having staff who are well informed and appropriately trained to influence and deliver services to the best of their ability in modern healthcare settings.