The health board was formed on 1 April 2004 by the amalgamation of
Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust,
Grampian Primary Care NHS Trust and
Grampian Health Board. A number of clinicians called on other executives to consider their positions. In 2018, following Malcolm Wright's resignation as chief executive, NHS Grampian appointed
Amanda Croft on an interim basis, who was then confirmed as new chief executive in April 2019. In June 2020 Croft announced her intention to retire at the end of 2020. She was succeeded by Caroline Hiscox, who had been a director since 2015, taking over the position in November 2020. In April 2021, NHS Grampian invested £3.5m in three surgical robots to assist general surgery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and hip replacement surgery at Woodend Hospital. Robotic-assisted surgery was first introduced to Grampian NHS in 2015. ==Healthcare in community settings==