Though treatment was not free, unlike NHS Scotland which succeeded it, fees were set at minimal levels and people could still get treated even if they were unable to pay.
In return they would be expected to visit all those requesting help, be involved in public health and school work, attend midwifery cases and provide themselves with adequate transport.
An early achievement was the posting of a nurse to St Kilda but the First World War held back developments and was used merely to support the doctors salaries and provide travel expenses.
In 1919 administration moved to the Scottish Board of Health and in due course it was seen to be having the desired effect of providing adequate medical services to the population and supporting doctors to live and work in the area.
The Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky, United States, was built on the HIMS model.,[1] as was Newfoundland's Cottage Hospital System.