About NSS

Learn more about the values, diversity and trade unions in NSS.

Our values

Our colleagues worked together to develop a set of values for NSS. These values inform our working environment and they are part of everything we do at NSS.

Our values are outlined below:

Committed to each other
Customer focus
Integrity
Openness
Respect and care
Excel and improve

NSS strategy and people plans

A great workplace can have a positive effect on our wellbeing, enhance our performance and help us deliver even more for our customers. This is why NSS invests in our very own Great Place to Work plan. It's underpinned by the NSS Strategy, our values and the NHSScotland Staff Governance Standard.

Every year our iMatter results and other employee feedback help us to define our key areas for improvement which are the building blocks that make up our Great Place to Work plan.

The Great Place to Work plan is our organisation’s way of ensuring it plays its part, alongside every one of us, to make the experience of work feel great.

Find out more about our Great Place to Work Plan.

Diversity and inclusion

Equal opportunities

NSS is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our colleagues to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best.

We support the elimination of unlawful discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation and trade union activity.

The NSS Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Policy reflects best practice and meets the minimum standards set out within the 'Equality, Diversity and Human Rights: NHSScotland Partnership Information Network' policy.

Find more information on the Equality & Diversity Reports.

Find out more about the Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Policy.

Disability confident employer

The ‘Positive about Disability’ scheme known as the ‘Two Ticks’ scheme was replaced by the Disability Confident scheme on 2nd November 2016. The Disability Confident scheme is effective from 1 July 2017.

There are three levels of scheme membership graded on what an organisation can demonstrate it is doing to support people with disabilities in work. As a previous signatory to the ‘Two Ticks’ scheme, NHS National Services Scotland was granted Level 2 – Disability Confident Employer status.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are actively committed to:

ensuring inclusive and accessible recruitment
communicating vacancies
offering an interview to disabled people
providing reasonable adjustments
supporting existing employees

Read more about this on the Disability Confident Scheme Website

NSS is currently working towards the Level 3 – Disability Confident Leader status with the aim of achieving this in 2023.

Our staff networks

The following staff networks are established in NSS:

Veterans Network
LGBT+ Network
(dis)Ability Network
Ethnic Minority Forum (EMF)

The networks have been set up to help promote equality and inclusion in the workplace. They also provide safe environments for staff with lived experience where you can hear from allies and share good practice. Anyone can join the networks with each having a volunteer co-ordinator supported by the Head of Equality, Engagement and Experience.

Each of the networks has an MS teams channel which provides a source of information, support and resources. For further information or more on how to join or connect into the networks, contact NSS.EqualityDiversity@nhs.scot.

Trade unions

Partnership working is the approach to employee relations within NHSScotland. As an employer, NHSScotland has always worked with Trade Unions and Professional Bodies to negotiate terms and conditions for staff.

For the last 10 years, NHSScotland has taken significant steps to develop and embed the concept and practice of partnership working. This involves the Scottish Government, NHS employers, Trade Unions and professional organisations working closely together to ensure that the NHSScotland workforce are actively involved in the decisions which affect them.

This requires openness, honesty and a commitment to share information in a transparent manner. Consensus is widely accepted as the best way of prioritising and achieving commitment to long term strategic change. For more information on partnership working visit the NHSScotland Staff Governance Website.

For more information on the origins of Partnership working, please visit MEL 1999(59).

The partnership model detailed in the MEL sets out how all stakeholders should be involved in formulating NHS policy and not just in being consulted.