Prevention
Preventative approaches mean identifying and tackling root causes before negative outcomes occur.
They focus on addressing the underlying causes of health inequalities which lead to unfair and avoidable differences in how long people live, and live in good health.
Scotland is shifting to a preventative model across our public services - addressing issues ‘upstream’ before they happen.
Community-led approaches to health are key to developing this policy agenda in a sustainable and an effective way that we know makes real positive change happen across our communities.
The Population Health Framework, Public Service Reform agenda, and the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework all clearly make prevention both a priority in how we deliver public services, but much more focus, and urgency, is needed on the ‘hard-to-do’ parts of policy implementation.
For these ways of working to take root, the role of community-led organisations must be recognised, with long-term investment and financial decision-making focused on properly supporting preventative approaches in our communities across Scotland.