Welcome to September’s edition of Health Policy Matters! This monthly blog features recent policy highlights, as well as upcoming influencing opportunities for VHS and our members.
Following on from yesterday’s announcement of £500 million cuts by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, we will be monitoring closely the announcement today from the First Minister regarding the Programme for Government 2024-2025 and its potential impact for the voluntary health sector.
Also in September, we will be consulting with members on an opportunity to influence the development of a new Framework for Collaboration which aims to improve partnership working amongst organisations who support people experiencing mental health distress.
VHS has been invited to comment on this draft Framework for Collaboration through our role on a Partnership Delivery Group, which we sit on alongside the Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland, COSLA and other partners.
The Framework proposes the establishment of new Multi-Agency Forums, with representation from local agencies and service providers (including third sector partners). Through these new Multi-Agency Forums, local agencies and service providers will agree upon how they plan to work together, share information and make decisions.
If you would be interested in supporting the development of this Framework, please get in touch with us by 13 September. On behalf of our members, we plan to stress the third sector’s vital role as a key mental health service in Scotland.
As a provider of essential services which people across Scotland rely upon, we believe that the third sector deserves far greater recognition and respect. We have emphasised this point in our response to the Third Sector Funding Principles consultation, which we submitted on 16 August.
The third sector is able to punch above its weight and has used this ability to make an immense contribution to the tackling of longer-term issues in Scotland, playing a crucial role in our efforts to tackle health inequalities as well as our move towards early intervention and prevention. However, with longer-term, flexible funding, the third sector would be capable of having an even greater impact.
Going forward, VHS will keep making the case for fairer funding which enables the third sector to continue to carry out its vital role.
Further upcoming influencing opportunities include:
- Post Legislative Scrutiny of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 (13 September) – The Social Justice and Social Security Committee has opened a call for views to consider the impact of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. The Committee wants to understand the impact of the Act, and in particular the difference that has been made by having the framework for reducing child poverty set in law.
- National Care Service (Scotland) Bill (Stage 2) (20 September) – The deadline for responses to this consultation has been extended from 30 August until 20 September. Following the Scottish Government’s draft amendments to the NCS Bill, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has issued a call for written evidence. SPICe has put together a really helpful briefing which explains these proposed amendments very clearly.
- ‘Moving On’ from Care into Adulthood (3 October) – This consultation invites views on the support available to young people as they leave care and enter adulthood. The Scottish Government is keen to hear from those who have care experience, are a kinship or foster carer, are the birth family of a young person with care experience, or those who support young people with care experience professionally or otherwise during this time of transition in their lives.
- Adults with Incapacity Amendment Act (17 October) – This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. The changes put the adult front and centre of the legislation, reflecting UNCRPD, deprivation of liberty case law and the recommendations of the Scottish Mental Health Law Review. Further information is available in the Scottish Government’s consultation paper.
As always, if you or the organisations you represent have any thoughts on these consultations then please get in touch. I’m also happy to discuss any of the above in more detail so that we can explore the best ways to influence change together.
We’ll be back in touch next month with another edition of Health Policy Matters, so please let me know if there are any policy developments that you would like to be highlighted.
Matthew James is the Policy Engagement Lead at Voluntary Health Scotland.
