25 March 2026
NHS Borders has today shared an update on the work underway to deliver its Clinical Strategy 2025–2030, following the strategy’s launch at the Public Board meeting in December. The delivery of the Clinical Strategy was one of four priorities identified for year one of the Organisational Strategy, alongside ‘rewiring’ our internal operating model, instilling improvement in our workforce and agreeing our social compact (investment in workforce development). This work has been informed by extensive public and staff engagement, ensuring that the voices of staff and our communities shape the services we provide.
Since the strategy was agreed we have been working closely with clinicians from across health and care services to turn its vision into clear, practical priorities that will make a real difference for patients and communities across the Scottish Borders.
The Clinical Strategy is built around the life stage vision of how people experience care: from starting well to growing well, living well, ageing well and how we provide care around dying. Four key questions will then guide our teams on their journey as we shift the balance of how care is delivered in the future:
How do we help people keep themselves well? This is about prevention and early support: helping people stay healthy for longer, spotting problems sooner, and supporting wellbeing in everyday life, not just when someone becomes unwell.
How do we strengthen Primary and Community Services to support recovery? This means more care delivered closer to home, supporting people to recover safely in their own communities wherever possible, and reducing unnecessary time spent in hospital.
How do we make Secondary Care fast, efficient and effective? This focuses on improving hospital care when people need it – making services safer, more efficient and better coordinated, so patients receive the right treatment without avoidable delays.
How do we ensure equity of access for all patients? This is about fairness: making sure everyone can access the care they need, including specialist services, regardless of where they live or their circumstances.
Together, these questions guide decisions about how services should develop across all stages of life, from early years through to older age and end‑of‑life care. We are currently working with clinicians and professional leaders from across the organisation to agree priority actions that will deliver clear answers to these four questions. This work will help focus improvement efforts on the areas that matter most to patients, staff and communities, while making the best use of available resources and supporting safe, sustainable services into the future.
Engagement with the public is vital as we develop the next steps of the strategy and we intend to hold further conversations with local communities in the summer, to talk openly about the Clinical Strategy, what it means in practice, and the shared vision for delivering it over the coming years. These conversations will help ensure that local voices continue to shape how services develop and that NHS Borders remains accountable for progress against our priorities.
Further information about the Clinical Strategy and opportunities to get involved will be shared in the coming months.