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Scotland spent over £12 billion on healthcare in 2015/16 which accounted for 40% of the Scottish Government's total budget. The NHSScotland consists of approximately 161,000 employees. 9.2% of whom are medical or dental doctors, 42.9% nurses and midwives, 18.2% administrative services, 3.9% healthcare scientists, and the remaining 25.8% in various other medical services. In the past several years, healthcare costs have been rising in Scotland. Despite this, Scots have a generally favorable view of their NHS service with 61% of the population either very or quite satisfied with the service. This is in contrast to a diminishing view in England of their NHS system.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) is responsible for scrutiny of NHS hospitals and services, as well as independent healthcare services. Its function is to assess the quality of care in Scottish health facilities and to make recommendations for how to fix various issues. However, HIS does not impose a formal accreditation system for NHS hospitals and clinics. The philosophy behind this is that setting minimum standards incentivizes healthcare facilities to provide only the baseline level care. Formal accreditation can also be seen as burdensome bureaucratic intrusion by healthcare providers. Instead HIS works in a more informal and collaborative approach with the NHS. This method of oversight differs from most other healthcare systems in the OECD who look to set clear and consistent standards.

Approximately 8.5% of people in Scotland pay for voluntary private health insurance.

Generally speaking, people in Scotland live relatively healthy lives. The average life expectancy in 2014 was 79.4 years, mortality rates from illnesses such as cancer and heart disease are declining, and obesity rates have stayed stable. But because Scotland is a highly rural country, access to healthcare can be challenging. This problem is compounded by the fact that a disproportionate amount of people aged 65 and older live in these rural areas. The elderly generally require more specialised and intensive forms of healthcare services.