On 2 September, Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, announced a proposal to replace the 14 territorial health boards with two bodies for east and west Scotland and separate arrangements for the Scottish islands.
The changes were announced in Scottish parliament as part of John Swinney’s proposed Programme for Government 2026- 2031.
While the Scottish government’s commitment to avoiding compulsory redundancies throughout the change process is welcome, the scale of the proposed restructuring raises significant concerns about its potential impact on the workforce and services.
The proposed restructure creates significant uncertainty for NHS staff, particularly around changes to employers and the introduction of new governance arrangements.
Top-down reorganisation can also divert staff attention and resources away from improving patient care, while failing to address the underlying challenges of insufficient staffing and funding.
There are also unresolved questions about the future role and structure of integrated joint boards, special health boards and agencies.
Claire Ronald, CSP senior negotiating officer for Scotland, said:
As a trade union with a seat at the table in staff-side negotiations through the partnership agreement between the NHS and staff trade unions, the CSP will work alongside other unions to advocate for Scottish members throughout this process.
‘It is vital that the voice of physiotherapy, alongside the wider allied health professions, is represented at the highest levels of the new structures.’
The CSP is committed to fully represent the interests of CSP members over the process of change at both a national and a local level.
CSP officers will be in regular communication with our local reps and any questions you have at this time should be directed to local reps. We will have more member communications as the next steps become clearer.
If you do not have a local CSP steward and would be interested in finding out more about the role, please contact CSP ERUS organiser Nina Strathie at strathien@csp.org.uk
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