A mutual NHS? The development of distinctive public involvement policy in a devolved Scotland

Academic research on health policy divergence across the United Kingdom since devolution has characterised Scotland's approach as 'professionalistic' or 'collaborative'. This article argues that more nuanced studies of particular policy areas are needed, and offers an exploration of the Scottish approach to public involvement as an example. An analysis of policy documents since devolution reveals the shifting significance of public involvement, and the introduction of new instruments for its accomplishment. The Scottish National Party's vision of 'a mutual National Health Service' is presented as a complex, even contradictory, project, which warrants further empirical attention both within and beyond the context of four-system comparisons.