Health ImprovementHealth Improvement
Scottish councils are in a unique position to significantly contribute to the reduction of health inequalities by improving the life circumstances of the communities they serve, to enable the healthier choice to be the easier choice. (See "Equally Well" (Scottish Government and COSLA 2008).)
Councils and their partners also have a big role in the wider health improvement effort across their population, as well as a role in the protection and enhancement of their employees health.
NHS Health Scotland Local Government Programme
NHS Health Scotland works at national level to support organisations, policy-makers, communities and individuals to take action to improve health and reduce health inequalities across Scotland. Our strategic objectives are to:
- advance the understanding of Scotland's health and how to improve it
- provide timely evidence-based inputs into health improvement policy and planning
- increase competence and capacity to deliver on health improvement programmes
- improve the quality of strategies to disseminate evidence, learning and good practice
The Local Government Programme exists within NHS Health Scotland to further develop relationships and health improvement activity with COSLA and other national local government organisations and agencies, and our 32 councils and Community Planning Partnerships.
Highlights
The obesity time bomb: why it's everyone's business - an elected member briefing note
This briefing produced by NHS Health Scotland, aims to provide councillors with some background to the complex problem of obesity and highlight why the council has such a fundamental role in addressing this huge societal problem. It offers illustrations of how council services can contribute and presents the argument that a locally based 'whole system' partnership approach is required so that one action by one organisation doesn't have a counterproductive effect elsewhere.
Support for Elected Members
Find out more about the role of councils and elected members in ensuring positive health outcomes for communities. Find useful links and resources for elected members.
Equally Well
Find out more about Equally Well, its implementation, the Equally Well Review and the evaluation of Equally Well test sites.
Single Outcome Agreements
Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) and support for health improvement outcomes
Find out more about Single Outcome Agreements and how Community Planning Partnerships, communities, and the private and third sectors are working together to develop them to help achieve health improvement outcomes. Also find out more about health improvement tools that can aid the SOA process.
