Question reference: S6W-26690
- Date lodged: 5 April 2024
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Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 April 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport during her evidence to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 28 June 2022 that "as part of the strategic reform of health, our emerging care and wellbeing portfolio is creating a sustainable health and social care system that will promote new and innovative ways of working...that includes our place and wellbeing programme, which is bringing together all sectors to drive change jointly and locally to reduce health inequalities", what progress it has made on reducing health inequalities.
Answer
Tackling health inequalities and improving population health remain clear, ongoing aims of the Scottish Government. Through the Place and Wellbeing Programme we are supporting local action to tackle health inequalities by: supporting health boards to operate as effective anchor institutions; supporting community and voluntary organisations; and ensuring they and public sector partners have the support and resources to take positive action locally.
Working alongside Public Health Scotland, the Scottish Government Anchors workstream within the Place and Wellbeing Programme is supporting NHS boards to act as effective anchor institutions and build greater prosperity in our local communities. All NHS Boards have now submitted Anchors Strategic Plans setting out how they are planning to maximise their footprint as employer, procurer and owner of land and assets, to channel greater wealth into local communities, which in turn will help contribute to reducing health inequalities.
Community and voluntary organisations play a key role is supporting the health and wellbeing of local communities. We are working with them to provide fairer funding processes and increase access to resources that can support them to work locally alongside the public sector to help reduce inequalities.