Creating a Healthier Scotland - summary report

The Scottish Government has published its 'Creating a Healthier Scotland' summary report, detailing the key issues that have been raised since the process began last August. 

A series of events, online surveys and discussions groups led to this report, with people asked about their views around health and social care in Scotland. The reports notes that more than 9,000 people attended conversation events - with 240 taking place across Scotland.

The main themes that came out of the conversation were:

• The need for a greater focus on preventing illness
• The importance of mental health and wellbeing
• The themes of person-centred care, support to self-manage health and the importance of a holistic approach
• Increased awareness of the full range of social care services and how it benefits different people
• The need for more accessible and flexible services
• Recognition of the challenges ahead and the need to set clear priorities for the future.

Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, said:

"This was about engaging honestly with the public about the health and social care challenges and choices we face as a country – not just today, but in the years ahead. Most importantly I wanted people to be involved in, and to have influence on, the decisions that affect their lives."

You can download the report here. There's more background information from CHEX here.