A: NHS Highland, Beechwood Park, Inverness, IV2 3BW

T:  01463 717123

W: http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk

I : NHS Highland is responsible for health care in the Highlands and Argyll & Bute, and for working with partners to improve the health of our population. Highland NHS Board is one of fourteen territorial NHS Boards in Scotland. NHS Highland’s catchment area comprises the largest and most sparsely populated part of the UK with all the attendant issues of a difficult terrain, rugged coastline, populated islands and a limited internal transport and communications infrastructure. The area covers 32,518 km² (12,507 square miles), which represents approximately 41% of the Scottish land surface. The geographical nature of the region presents particular challenges for the efficient and effective delivery of health care services.

NHS Highland serves a population of some 299,000 residents (within the Highland and Argyll & Bute Council boundaries) as well as patients from the influx of tourists to the Highlands, which in the summer can triple the local population. The Health Service in the Highland area is a major employer, second only to the local authority in the number of people employed. This is of major significance to the Highland economy. NHS Highland is the largest spatial NHS Board in the UK which creates special challenges to health service delivery across such a remote and rural area.

NHS Highland’s R&D Department manages all the administration for all R&D projects that involve the NHS in someway. It currently has nearly 600 projects on its database, with around 350 of these projects being active. In addition to providing governance on all projects, the office provides a substantial research training programme, one-to-one research and development support, assistance with commercialisation, a substantial research training programme, and a series of events including seminars, workshops and conferences. It provides a small amount of direct funding for research, and seeks external funding and helps in the development of research funding proposals. Essentially the department will help with any aspect of the R&D process.