scotland s desire to strengthen the patient voice is grounded in a recently developed framework that empowers patients as equal partners in their care patient and public involvement is promoted through a commitment to transparency about the direction and performance of the nhs and through a commitment to using feedback as a tool for improvement for example the results of a national survey on maternity care were used to identify areas where there was a need for improvement and to inform future maternity policy the patients rights scotland act sets out patient rights and principles for the delivery of health care