NHS Highland

What NHS Highland does

NHS Highland is a statutory health board within NHS Scotland, established under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 and operational since 1948. It is the designated provider of physical health, mental health, and adult social care services across the Highland and Argyll and Bute council areas in northern and western Scotland, serving a geographically dispersed population across one of the largest health board footprints in Scotland. The organisation employs more than 10,000 staff and delivers services through an integrated network that includes acute hospitals such as Raigmore and Lorn and Islands, the newly opened National Treatment Centre - Highland, community hospitals, mental health facilities including the new Craigs Hospital, GP practices, and two health and social care partnerships (Highland HSCP and Argyll and Bute HSCP).

The core service portfolio spans planned and emergency acute care, mental health and learning disability services, primary care, and adult social care. Its digital product layer includes Near Me (a video consultation platform), Patient Hub, telecare/TEC services, and a suite of digital health applications covering self-management (Phio, HOPE, Daylight) and parental support (DadPad). Operational delivery is increasingly anchored on integrated multi-condition models, exemplified by the £6 million SEISMIC SHIFT programme for patients with multiple long-term conditions.

NHS Highland does not operate a commercial revenue model. It is funded primarily through annual revenue and capital allocations from the Scottish Government, supplemented by minor income streams such as charges to non-residents. Its annual budget is in the region of £1.17 billion (approximately $1.4-1.5 billion). There is no external equity funding, no product monetisation, and no commercial go-to-market function; strategic direction is set by the NHS Highland Board in line with Scottish Government policy.

Name

NHS Highland

Legal name

NHS Highland

Website

https://nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

10,001+ employees

Short description

NHS Highland is the statutory NHS Scotland health board providing physical health, mental health, and adult social care services across the Highland and Argyll and Bute council areas, serving a dispersed population of approximately 320,000-400,000 residents through 10,000+ staff and an integrated hospital, community, primary care, and digital service network funded by the Scottish Government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Inverness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NHS Highland is a statutory health board within NHS Scotland that delivers physical and mental health services, primary care, dental, pharmacy, maternity, and adult social care across the Highland and Argyll and Bute council areas. Services are provided free at the point of use through hospitals, GP practices, community facilities, home-based care, and digital channels such as Near Me video consultations and the Patient Hub portal.

Product overview

NHS Highland provides a comprehensive portfolio of health and social care services across the Highland and Argyll and Bute council areas in Scotland. The service portfolio includes acute hospital care (Raigmore Hospital, National Treatment Centre - Highland), community hospitals, and a wide range of community-based services including GP practices, dental services, pharmacies, mental health services, and adult social care. Key digital health products include Near Me (video consultations), Patient Hub (online patient portal), Telecare (remote monitoring), and mobile applications such as Phio (physiotherapy), HOPE (recovery support), Daylight (anxiety management), and DadPad (parenting support). The organization also provides technology enabled care services supporting approximately 13,000 people to live independently. Services are delivered through 14+ hospitals and numerous community facilities, with accessibility features including British Sign Language support and free patient Wi-Fi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Near Me Video Consultation Service A confidential and secure video consultation service allowing patients to attend pre-arranged appointments remotely using a video call rather than attending in person, provided free at the point of use as part of NHS Highland services.
• Patient Hub A secure online patient portal providing patients with information relating to their care, including access to appointment details and health records.
• Telecare Technology enabled care service providing equipment and monitoring — including sensors and alert systems — to support independent living at home for patients across the Highland and Argyll and Bute areas.
• Phio A digital physiotherapy tool providing faster access to GP physiotherapy services across Argyll and Bute, allowing patients to access musculoskeletal care digitally.
• HOPE (Health Online Patient Engagement) App A drug and alcohol recovery support application helping individuals manage their recovery journey with digital resources and tools.
• Daylight App A smartphone application designed to help users manage worry and anxiety through digital cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.
• DadPad

Quantifiable outcome

• NHS Highland leading £6 million SEISMIC SHIFT programme to design and test new models of care for people with multiple long-term conditions

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NHS Fife: Mid-sized NHS Scotland board delivering acute, primary, and community services with HSCP integration; provides a like-for-like comparator on integrated care models and Near Me adoption.
• NHS Grampian: A neighbouring north-of-Scotland NHS board serving a mixed urban-rural population including Aberdeen; operates comparable acute hospital, primary care, and community service portfolios under the same NHS Scotland framework.
• NHS Tayside: Scottish health board delivering integrated hospital, community, and primary care across Tayside with similar governance and funding structures to NHS Highland, including shared digital platforms and HSCP partnerships.
• NHS Lanarkshire: Large NHS Scotland board operating three acute hospitals and integrated HSCPs; directly comparable in service mix, scale, and digital platform adoption to NHS Highland.
• NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde: The largest NHS Scotland health board by population, operating a similar portfolio of acute hospitals, primary care, and digital services within a single devolved health system — directly comparable in structure, governance, and funding model to NHS Highland.
• NHS Ayrshire & Arran: Regional NHS Scotland board with similar acute, community, and primary care delivery model, including rural geographies and HSCP integration; useful for cross-board benchmarking.
• NHS Lothian: Another large NHS Scotland health board delivering acute, community, and primary care services with an integrated digital health strategy; shares NHS Scotland governance, funding mechanisms, and digital platform standards (e.g., Near Me) with NHS Highland.

Broad incumbents

• NHS 24: Scotland-wide telehealth and unscheduled-care provider operating the 111 service; overlaps with NHS Highland's Near Me and digital-first care strategy and is a peer in the national digital health ecosystem.
• Public Health Scotland: Scotland's national public health agency that works alongside NHS Highland on population health, vaccination, and health-protection programmes; broader in remit but directly aligned in mandate and governance accountability to Scottish Government.

Regional players

• Vancouver Coastal Health: Canadian public health authority delivering integrated acute, community, and primary care across a vast and geographically dispersed region (including remote coastal communities); internationally comparable to NHS Highland on rural scale and integrated care delivery.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NHSHighland
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NHSHighland
• Facebookfacebook.com/NHSHighland
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/nhs-highland
• Instagraminstagram.com/nhs_highland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NHS Highland