NHS Highland

26/05/2026

The heart of the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025: A Strong Start comes from the voices of 170+ children and parents who helped shape it through play based sessions.

Children told us what really supports their health, not services, but everyday life: outdoor spaces, parks and beaches, family routines, community connections, feeling safe, and having enough.

This work was carried out with the Care and Learning Alliance (CALA) and Lets Grow Kids UK - Argyll Lets Grow Kids UK - Argyll. Have a look below to see why hearing directly from children mattered and how we made it happen.

26/05/2026

We’re so proud that National Treatment Centre Highlands Table has been shortlisted for the Inverness stage of the Scottish Business Awards, a lovely surprise and truly deserved.

The team works incredibly hard and creates such a welcoming space for everyone. Thank you to the mystery nominator, and a big thank you to everyone who has already voted.

If you’ve not already done so please remember to vote and help us celebrate this brilliant team.

26/05/2026

This looks like it is going to be a great event

There will also be a number oof health promotion stalls in place including our Organ Donation team, Blood Donors, Endoscopy and more

They'd love to see you on either day if you can make it

We're hosting the Transplant Football Championship Four Nations!

Come and support Scotland in an international tournament!

Entry is by donation, and one ticket will cover you entering in and out of the event over both days!

Join us by downloading a ticket here: https://www.rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk/home-match-tickets

26/05/2026

Our Care at Home Recruitment Day in the Mallaig and Morar Community Centre is open now!

You can chat with our professionals until 3pm today about what job would suit you and your availability, learn about the different pay enhancements and, if eligible, leave with a conditional job offer.

Remember to bring along your NI number, bank details, and 3 forms of photo ID (at least 1 photo ID and 1 proof of address). If you have one, also bring your Scottish Social Services Council/Nursing and Midwifery Council registration number.

Further info will be required after the event to complete the onboarding process, including enough references to cover 3 years.

Care at Home can provide you with a career where you earn while you learn, supporting people in the place they call home. For more info, visit: https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/careers/routes-into-nhs-highland-careers/adult-social-care-careers/care-at-home-careers/

25/05/2026

Our Highland Children's Unit 10th birthday celebrations continued over the weekend

Huge thank you to Kaya from Woodside Bakes for the amazing donation of sweet treats for all the staff working on the ward 🍬🎉

Kaya also kindly made up little party bags for the children, which our special visitor Stitch had lots of fun handing out (fun fact Stitch and Nursery Nurse Jodie were never in the same place at the same time) - thank you to Innoflate Inverness for letting us borrow Stitch

A huge thank you as well to Archie Foundation for supporting the birthday celebration lunch and for donating toys as prizes for our cake colouring competition also.

Photos include Kaya with staff and cake donations, Play Specialist Serena, Nursery Nurse Lee, and some of our amazing nurses and doctors with Stitch 💫

22/05/2026

Ten years ago to the day, following an extraordinary five-year fundraising appeal, the Highland Children's Unit welcomed its first patients.

Patients, former patients, staff past and present, partners, fundraisers and supporters came together today to celebrate a decade since the unit opened its doors at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

The celebration brought together those who played a pivotal role in the unit's development, those who have supported its journey over the past ten years, and those who continue to shape its future.

Read all about it in the comments

21/05/2026

What's behind NHS Highland's Director of Public Health Annual Report and why does it focus on children's early years?

In this short video, Jennifer Davies, NHS Highland's Director of Public Health, introduces the report and shares what the evidence, data, and children's own voices are telling us about growing up in Highland and Argyll and Bute today.

Watch below and find the full report link in the comments.

20/05/2026

Do you work with expectant or new parents? Help improve health information for parents in Scotland!

We’re reviewing our Ready, Steady, Baby! content on NHS Inform and we’d like to hear from parents.

If you support people who are pregnant or have had a baby in the last six months, please share this quick , anonymous survey with them. All views are helpful to us and welcomed!

Parents can also choose to take part in an online discussion or interview (60–90 minutes) and receive a £50 thank‑you payment.

You can find the survey here: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/Interview/1ef3713d-8706-45d0-8281-91663b082d51

20/05/2026

NHS Highland Midwifery Quarterly snapshot January - March 2026

🔵Places of Birth
🔵Water Births
🔵Breastfeeding Initiating Rate
🔵Optimal Cord Clamping
🔵Women supported with colostrum harvesting
🔵Induction of Labour
🔵Sex of children born

20/05/2026

One in five children under five in Highland are living in poverty and that figure has not improved since 2010.

Today we are publishing our Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025: A Strong Start: health and wellbeing in the early years.

It is the first annual report from Jennifer Davies, NHS Highland's Director of Public Health, and it takes an honest look at the health and wellbeing of young children across our region.

The numbers tell part of the story, of the 12,834 children aged under five in NHS Highland in 2024, 21.9% live in relative poverty. One in three live in a remote or rural area. Around half live in the parts of Scotland with the most limited access to services. The rate of tooth decay in five-year-olds in our most deprived communities is nearly three times that in the least deprived.

But the report also draws on the voices of more than 170 children and parents gathered using play-based methods with children as young as two. Their words are some of the most powerful evidence in the report.

It calls for collective action in five areas:
⭐ Invest early in prevention
⭐ Tackle the drivers of poverty
⭐ Create child-friendly places
⭐ Strengthen universal services
⭐ Ensure equity and children's rights

Read the full report via the link in the comments below.

17/05/2026

Keeping your employees healthy and in work is easier with the right support. Healthy Working Lives gives employers the resources and guidance to do just that. Early action reduces turnover, supports wellbeing and keeps your business running smoothly. You don’t have to figure it out alone, we’re here to help. Visit healthyworkinglives.scot/keeping-people-in-work/