Neil Findlay MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Well-Being initiated a Health Inequalities Policy Review Commission in May 2014.
Chaired by Dr David Conway of the Socialist Health Association, this review aims to go beyond health service reform and take a broader approach to preventing, reducing and reversing health inequalities.
The review is committed to undertake a series of community engagement exercises across the country listening to people who rarely have a say in policy development. They aim to make tackling health inequalities a top priority for the Scottish Labour Party and the country and hope to see:
- Action on income and its links to health
- Action on the inverse care law – improving equity of access to public and health services
- Action to prioritise the early years
- Action to reinvigorate community development
- Action on public health legislation
From this they hope to propose a raft of policies that cut-across health and wider public services, that can be taken forward in the short, medium and long term – that take into account current and potential future constitutional arrangements, and that are costed – taking into account current spending realities, – but which also consider what could/should be done with reallocating and reprioritising resources.
They are currently seeking views from a broad a range of people and organisations across Scotland and have issued a call for evidence. VHS have submitted evidence to this review based on our wide range of consultation events around health inequalities:
VHS Submission – Health Inequalities Review [May 2014]
Click here to also read SCVO and Senscot’s submissions:
SCVO response Scottish Labour Health Inequalities Review
Senscot – Health Inequalities Policy Review
