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Become an NHS Board chair
Discover the NHS board chair role
As an NHS board chair, you'll be accountable to Scottish ministers. You'll lead a board comprising non-executive and executive members that improves, sustains, and protects the health of people across Scotland. This is a demanding but fulfilling role, and if you think you have what it takes, we would like to hear from you.
The role of the chair
As a chair, you're expected to work regularly from an NHS Board headquarters. You must also be available to attend meetings held elsewhere in Scotland.
Work commitments and board and governance committees will be in a mix of virtual, hybrid, and physical formats and settings.
In this video, David Garbutt, Chair, NHS Education for Scotland provides more details about the role of an NHS board chair.
Key elements of the role
The role itself has 4 key elements:
- Strategic leadership.
- Understanding of Scotland’s health and social care context and environment.
- Governance and accountability.
- Constructive and supportive challenge and influence.
Each one of these supports the organisation to navigate challenges and strive for the best outcomes for the community. Underpinning these are the NHSScotland values that set out the culture and vision:
- Care and compassion.
- Dignity and respect.
- Openness, honesty and responsibility.
- Quality and teamwork.
Managing competing demands and time
The time commitment for NHS Scotland board chairs is typically 3 days per week, but this may vary. Annually, there are around 6 regular meetings with other NHS board chairs and the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care.
Beyond this, the role also requires you to be present and available for meetings held across Scotland, such as:
- board and committee meetings
- board development sessions
- appraisals
- stakeholder engagement
- strategic planning
- other ad hoc commitments
While the role is demanding, you are responsible for managing your time and competing demands.
Holding other public appointments
It is possible to have more than one public appointment. You should check that you can make the time commitment for an additional appointment and that there are no unmanageable conflicts of interest.
This video explains how our existing NHS board chairs manage competing demands and their time.
Renumeration
The table below shows NHS board chairs' remuneration for 2025 to 2028. These rates apply from 1 April 2025. Renumeration is based on 156 days per year, or 3 days per week, unless specified in your terms and conditions appointment letter.
| Daily rate | |||
| Tier 1 | 2025 to 2026 | 2026 to 2027 | 2027 to 2028 |
| NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian, and NHS Grampian | £431.00 | £497.00 | £562.00 |
| NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Highland, and NHS Tayside | £341.00 | £422.00 | £492.00 |
| NHS Borders, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland, NHS Western Isles, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, NHS 24, NHS Education for Scotland, NHS Golden Jubilee, NHS National Services Scotland, Public Health Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, The State Hospitals Board for Scotland | £311.00 | £362.00 | £412.00 |
Find out more about renumberation for chairs and non-executive members of NHS Scotland Boards [PDF].
Diverse backgrounds
NHS board chairs come from very different backgrounds, and this mix makes for a diverse contribution as strategic leaders. For example, some Chairs have worked previously in the NHS, while others come with voluntary sector experience from industry or other parts of the public sector. What they have in common is high-quality governance and senior leadership experience.
To apply for an NHS board chair role, you do not need to live within the board's area or have previous connections to the organisation. However, you'll need to have an understanding of the local context. This will ensure you can provide the most effective leadership.
You can apply for and be appointed to the boards of public bodies if you are not a British citizen. However, you must be legally entitled to work in the UK.
In this video, you'll hear from David Garbutt, Chair, NHS Education for Scotland. David shares his own diverse career experience, which has led to his current role. He says, "It does not matter what your background is - it's the perspective you bring and the decision-making that each of you brings to this important work."
Published: 01/07/2025
Last updated: 06/10/2025
Part of: Work with us
Topic: Become an NHS Board chair
Lead with confidence
Understand the principles of good governance in NHS Scotland. Our blueprint outlines the framework for effective leadership, helping you prepare for a future chair role.
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Discover our leadership support
Explore the dedicated learning resources and development opportunities we provide for our board chairs. See how we support our leaders to succeed and make a difference.
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