Our vision, value and story

The NHS Scotland Brand

Our vision

We want people in Scotland to live healthier, longer lives. To do this, we need our health and care services to be accessible and efficient. NHS Scotland is committed to providing the right care, at the right time and in the right setting.

Our values

The NHS Scotland identity supports our values of care and compassion, dignity and respect, openness, honesty and responsibility.

Our brand story

The NHS Scotland brand – the logo, colour scheme and other graphic elements – was created more than 20 years ago. It reflects our promise to the public and our commitment to staff and partners. It’s become part of the landscape in Scotland, recognised and trusted by just about everyone who lives or works in our country, and by those who visit us. The aim of these guidelines is to deliver consistency, and to ensure the brand is used in the same way, across the service and throughout the nation. These guidelines retain the essence and character ofthe NHS Scotland brand.

Our Principles

Guiding principles for how we use our brand identity

We’ve prepared these guidelines using six key principles that NHS staff and our partners should follow when applying the brand identity.

1. People first

We will use the NHS Scotland identity to help patients, staff and the general public. We’ll make it easy for everyone to identify and navigate our services, using NHS Scotland or NHS Board logos.

2. Supporting our values

The NHS Scotland identity will be used to support our values of care and compassion, dignity and respect, openness, honesty and responsibility. We’ll apply the NHS Scotland identity with thought and consideration using quality images and graphics that reflect our high standards.

3. Pride and consistency

We will apply the NHS Scotland identity in a clear and consistent way, using it in its original form and avoiding anything that might dilute the national identity.

4. Working together

We will encourage staff and local partners to use the identity in the correct way, following the guidelines and principles outlined here to enhance and protect the NHS Scotland identity.

5. Accessibility and inclusion

The needs of all members of the public and staff will be considered, and we will maintain the highest standards of inclusion and accessibility.

6. Benefiting the public

NHS Scotland organisations and partners will use the identity in a way that best serves the interests of the public.