Theresa Fyffe is calling on the third sector to support RCN Scotland's campaign for longer-term funding for projects that tackle health inequalities
We could save around £10 billion if the death rate in the most deprived groups in Scotland improved, according to latest estimates from the Government’s own auditors Audit Scotland. Just think what a difference that could make to you working in the voluntary or charitable sector in Scotland.
And with six out of 10 Scots (62%) thinking that health inequality, the gap between those living in the best social, environmental and economic conditions compared to those living in the worst, is unfair, why isn’t more being done?
I believe health inequalities are fundamentally wrong on all levels. It is wrong for men living in the most deprived areas destined to die a full seven and a half years earlier than those in the least deprived areas or women destined to die almost five and a half years earlier. It is also wrong for those babies born in Glasgow City who are expected to have shorter lives than those born anywhere else in the UK, and for all their families and for society as a whole.
We believe action is needed now at an individual and community level, involving all sectors of our society, whether this is the Scottish Government, local authorities, the voluntary or independent sector – to improve the health of the people who most need it.
Theresa Fyffe
Sadly, health inequalities are actually getting worse, despite the best efforts of those working tirelessly in our voluntary sector and often struggling to provide services either partly or wholly based on short-term public funding or charitable donations.
So what can be done about this, and how can individuals and society help tackle health inequalities?
We believe action is needed now at an individual and community level, involving all sectors of our society, whether this is the Scottish Government, local authorities, the voluntary or independent sector – to improve the health of the people who most need it.
And that’s why we’re launching a campaign, Nursing at the Edge, to showcase how some nurses, often working in isolation and at the end of their careers, are a beacon of hope for the future. They have solutions and their stories are a true inspiration to us all.
Based on their stories and on a lot of evidence we’ve gathered by speaking to patients and service users and to nurses and other healthcare professionals around the country, we believe there are things we could do now – have to do now – to start making a difference.
You can find out more on the RCN Scotland website, where you can read their stories and sign our petition to the Scottish Government to urge it to put in place support for services and projects that make a difference to the lives of our most vulnerable. Such services are often provided by volunteers or charities, and their future can be uncertain as a result of stop-gap planning or short-term funding by government, local authorities and others.
The nurses featured in Nursing at the Edge are already making a big difference. So, please sign our petition now. Even if we save a fraction of the money that Audit Scotland estimates we could save, just imagine what a difference we could make to people’s lives.
Theresa Fyffe is director of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland
