Experienced
£79,164
Senior health economists in the NHS can earn up to £67,665. Principal or lead health economists can up to £79,164 before tax.
How to become a health economist
Your can become a health economist by completing an undergraduate degree in a subject such as economics, public health, mathematics, or statistics. You'll then need a post-graduate qualification in Health Economics.
Salary
At NHS Scotland, your salary doesn’t stand still. We reward you for the skills you bring and increase your pay as you gain experience. Find out more about pay and benefits.
Entry
£50,826
Health economists in the NHS start at £50,826 before tax.
What is a health economist?
Health economists provide the expert analysis that helps NHS Scotland make fair and evidence-based financial decisions. This helps the NHS when making decisions about investing the annual budget for new medicines and health technologies.
Health economists analyse the cost-effectiveness of a health technology, such as:
- a new cancer drug
- a surgical robot
- a national screening programme
They then collaborate with clinicians, statisticians, researchers, and information scientists to answer complex questions by:
- Synthesising evidence—Diving deep into vast amounts of information to understand a technology's benefits and costs. This could include clinical trial results, academic literature and real-world data.
- Building economic models—Constructing sophisticated computer models to simulate the long-term health and financial impacts of adopting a new technology. This helps predict its value to NHS Scotland.
- Communicating with clarity—Translating highly complex findings into clear, compelling advice. It needs to be understood by decision-making committees (like the SHTG, SIGN, and SMC) who may not be economics experts.
Many health economists work within Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).
Starting your career as a health exonomist
Many people who become health economists often have an analytical or health-related bakground
Before specialising, many have worked in roles such as:
- Data analyst or statistician
- Academic or industry researcher
- Public health professional
- Pharmacist
- Economist in another sector
Motivations for becoming a health economist
You may be interested in a career in health economics if you have experience in:
- Applying economic theory to solve real-world healthcare challenges.
- Analysing health data and wanting to use your skills to directly influence national policy.
- Working in a clinical or public health role and wanting to shape how decisions about funding new medicines and technologies are made.
Search for current health economist vacancies on the NHS Scotland recruitment website.
College and university
To become a health economist you'll need a degree in a subject like economics, mathematics, statistics, or health sciences. You'll also need to complete a post-graduate qualification in health economics.
You'll also need experience in applied health economics, including building and validating economic models.
Search for related undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes on My World of Work.
Widening access
Widening participation supports adult learners who want to go to university. If you’re an adult with few or no qualifications, you could get into higher education through the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP). Many universities also provide access programmes to help you get the degree entry qualifications you need.
Get to know the role
As a health economist, your work will have a direct and tangible impact on people across Scotland. It will inform national guidance that determines:
- Which new medicines are approved for use in the NHS.
- Which medical devices and technologies are introduced in hospitals.
- The recommendations within national clinical guidelines that doctors and nurses use every day.
It also means that decisions are based on strong evidence. This protects the financial sustainability of the NHS and promotes fair access to the best possible care for patients.
As a health economist, you'll turn complex clinical and financial data into clear, actionable advice.
Your main tasks would include:
- Building economic models to predict the long-term health outcomes and costs of new treatments.
- Critically appraising and synthesising evidence from academic literature, clinical trials, and other data sources.
- Analysing the cost-effectiveness of new medicines, medical devices, and clinical guidelines.
- Estimating the resource impact of implementing new recommendations across NHS Scotland.
- Writing reports and presenting your findings to specialist committees, clinicians, and policy makers.
You'll need these skills:
- Strong analytical abilities.
- Highly developed sense-making and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- The ability to work independently and manage a demanding workload.
- High proficiency in IT, including spreadsheets and specialist modelling software.
- Planning and organisational skills.
- Curiosity.
- Critical thinking.
You'll work as part of a multidisciplinary team and collaborate with a wide range of people, including:
- Clinicians and pharmacist,
- Statisticians and information scientists
- Health services researchers
- Staff from NHS Scotland Boards, the Scottish Government, and universities
- Representatives from pharmaceutical and medical device companies
Your work would be office-based, involving significant time working on a computer to conduct analysis, build models, and write reports. You'll also regularly attend and present at national committee meetings, which may be held in person or virtually.
Learning and development
During your career as a health economist, you'll be expected to maintain your specialist knowledge through continuing professional development (CPD). This could include:
- attending training courses
- participating in knowledge-sharing networks
Career progression
After gaining significant experience, you can progress to a senior health economist role. This position involves:
- Leading and managing complex projects independently.
- Mentoring and supervising health economists.
- Taking on a greater role in developing methodology and strategy.
- Representing the team at national committees and engaging with senior stakeholders.
At the most senior levels, you move into strategic leadership. As a principal or lead health economist, you will:
- Manage the health economics team and its overall work programme.
- Provide expert strategic advice to senior leaders within NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government.
- Hold national responsibility for the quality and impact of health economic advice.
Wider career opportunities
The skills you develop as a health economist are highly transferable. This means you can move into other specialist areas.
These include:
- Senior management roles within NHS Scotland.
- Health policy roles within the Scottish Government.
- Academic research and teaching positions at universities.
- Industry roles with pharmaceutical or medical technology companies.
Professional bodies
You can learn more about the field of health economics from professional bodies and networks such as:
Published: 18/04/2023
Last updated: 13/10/2025
Part of: Explore careers
Topic: Administrative services
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