Communities for Health Advisory Group

This group grew out of the Community Health Exchange's (CHEX) first National Conference held in November 2009. The feeling of Conference was that there was a need for a collective voice to enhance the influence and profile of community health initiatives across Scotland at both local and national level. Members of the CHEX network came together to take forward action identified during the conference.

The first meeting took place in December 2009 and the group continued to address the issues raised by members of the CHEX network and ensure that the network was regularly informed of the work of the group until a final meeting was held on 14 November 2011.

At this final meeting a small core of the most active members met together to review the work of the group since it began in January 2010 and look to the future of community-led health organisations in Scotland.  Among the Group’s achievements were the Community-led Health Improvement Journal and the Manifesto for Community led Health both launched at CHEX conference in February 2011.

More recently discussions have led to a closer relationship with the Scottish Healthy Living Centre Alliance (SHLCA) and all members of CHAG are now invited to consider joining SHLCA with a view to developing a stronger voice for the community-led health sector. Indeed SHLCA has sent a wider invitation to community-led health groups across Scotland to join it in developing a strengthened representative voice for the sector.

Chairperson of CHAG Bobby Sturgeon, from Fullarton Community Health House said in a statement circulated to Group members:

“I would like to thank all who have been involved in the Communities for Health Advisory Group and have given their time and energy to contributing to the work undertaken during its relatively short lifetime. I hope that community-led health organisations formerly part of CHAG will now work with us in the Scottish Healthy Living Centre Alliance to ensure that a stronger voice for Community-led Health Organisations continues to be developed for the future. This will include identifying a new name and strong identity for the new organisation. With best wishes to all for the future,

Bobby Sturgeon"

 To showcase the work of community-led health organisations from around Scotland, the Group published the Community-led Health Improvement Journal (pdf file, 1.04Mb).