MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's health and sport committee have set a 15-year plan for improving the nations health
A group of MSPs have vowed to help ensure poorer Scots enjoy as good health as their richer peers.
Dramatic health inequality in Scotland currently means those living in richer areas of the country live on average a decade more than those in poorer areas. Poorer Scots are also likely to battle more significant health problems that impact on their quality of life at a much younger age.
Now, MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's health and sport committee have put tackling health inequalities at the centre of their work over the next five years.
The committee's new strategic plan also includes a commitment to test everything that comes before it on how it advances preventative health approaches, its long-term cost effectiveness and efficiency, as well as how it might be impacted by the UK’s EU exit.
Our vision puts a marker in the sand to say that health inequalities are so fundamental that they have to be a key part of all of our work
Neil Findlay MSP
The plan is a first for a Scottish Parliament committee, which generally work responsively to new legislation, petitions or enquiries.
The unique plan will guide the committee's work throughout this five-year parliamentary session but covers a period of 15 years to 2031. This recognises the long-term and fundamental change that the health sector will go through and the need for longer term decision making.
Comittee convener Neil Findlay MSP said the plan reflects thefundamental changes in how health care is being delivered, from the integration of health and social care to help to deal with our changing demography to service users being empowered to choose the health care that’s right for them.
He said: “It’s clear that this vision puts party politics aside and is a clear commitment to improve the health of the people of Scotland.
“Our vision puts a marker in the sand to say that health inequalities are so fundamental that they have to be a key part of all of our work. Similarly prevention is vital to ensuring the health sector can direct their resource to those who need it the most.
“This also makes clear that as a committee we want to involve a broad cross section of people from across Scotland in our work – from carers to those who have direct experience of the health service.”
The over-riding aim of the plan is to improve the health of the people of Scotland. The committee will direct its focus on the outcomes being achieved and those proposed and examine and consider the identification and measurement of added value.
The committee will look at the extent to which access to sport and physical exercise is being widened, and activity is reaching and empowering all sections of the community.
Scottish voluntary organisations have campaigned vigoroulsly on the issue of health inequality over recent years. Voluntary Health Scotland, the umbrella body for third sector health groups, last year published a report givinga voluntary sector perspective on health inequality.
