{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} The '''Scottish Health Council''' was established by the Scottish Executive in April 2005 to promote Patient Focus and Public Involvement in the NHS in Scotland.
It is a committee of Healthcare Improvement Scotland. It has a national office in Glasgow and a local office in each of the 14 NHS Boards across Scotland.
The Council collects information on how NHS Boards engage with patients and the public against the Participation Standard. This focuses on: *How well NHS Boards focus on the patient *How well NHS Boards involve the public *How NHS Boards take responsibility for ensuring they involve the public
In contested decisions the view of the Council on the legitimacy of the process is taken into account.<ref>{{cite news|title=Protest opposes Skye and Lochalsh hospital plans|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-33224731|accessdate=13 July 2015|publisher=BBC News|date=22 June 2015}}</ref> The Council concentrates on process issues and does not express an opinion on the merits of proposals.<ref>{{cite news|title=Scottish Health secretary Shona Robison urged to intervene to stop the axing of the out-of-hours GP service at Wishaw General|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/scottish-health-secretary-shona-robison-5864134|accessdate=13 July 2015|publisher=Daily Record|date=11 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Campaigners take fight for homeopathic hospital to Holyrood|url=http://m.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13332247.Campaigners_take_fight_for_homeopathic_hospital_to_Holyrood/|accessdate=13 July 2015|publisher=Evening Times|date=9 June 2015}}</ref>
The Council has been criticised by Elaine Smith who called for “an end to one sided views of health boards being discussed behind closed doors, with MSPs undemocratically excluded in the decision process”.<ref>{{cite news|title=Patients are being ‘denied democracy’, claims group fighting to save Scotland's ‘last hope’ hospital|url=http://www.thenational.scot/news/patients-are-being-denied-democracy-claims-group-fighting-to-save-scotlands-last-hope-hospital.3812|accessdate=13 July 2015|publisher=The National|date=8 June 2015}}</ref>
It does not have any role in patients' complaints.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.scottishhealthcouncil.org/about_us/about_us.aspx#.VaPPI6S_UYA Scottish Health Council]
Category:Health policy in the United Kingdom Category:NHS Scotland Category:Patient advocacy