
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will join a nationwide round of applause paying tribute to NHS staff on the health service's 72nd anniversary.
The public are being encouraged to clap at 17:00 for carers who helped save lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
Landmarks, including the Kelpies and the National Monument of Scotland, were lit up blue in celebration and remembrance on Saturday.
It is hoped the round of applause will become an annual tradition.
The idea was inspired by the success of the weekly Clap for Carers which saw households across the country show their appreciation for the NHS and other key workers during the height of the coronavirus crisis.
In a video message to mark the anniversary, Ms Sturgeon thanked NHS and care workers for their "invaluable" work.
She said: "In Covid-19, our country has faced, and indeed continues to face, an unprecedented challenge.
"And in meeting that challenge we're depending more than ever on our health and care workers.
"All of us owe you such an enormous debt of gratitude. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
The National Health Service was launched on 5 July 1948, with the core principle that it was free at the point of delivery and based on clinical need.
Annemarie Plas, who founded the Clap for Carers initiative said she thinks the NHS anniversary clap will be a "beautiful moment".
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: "We have had this first part of the crisis, we don't know what lies ahead, so if we can have this one moment where we say thank you to each other and recharge our batteries for what may be a heavier time that lies ahead, then I think that is a beautiful moment."