VHS hosted a useful meeting on 18th October to consider progress in reforming public health in Scotland from a third sector perspective. The meeting enabled third sector people with a role in the reform programme’s various Boards, Commissions and working groups to hear from Executive Director of Public Health Reform Eibhlin McHugh, to exchange experience and lessons learned so far, and to think about future collaboration. There was also the opportunity to help shape the third sector public health reform engagement event that Scottish Government and SCVO have organised for 14th November: REGISTER HERE
One of the useful areas of discussion was around the need for the third sector to reclaim and redefine the territory of public health (and the wider system) in terms that make sense to us. Our sector tends not to talk about ‘public health’ nor is the term ‘wider public health workforce’ one that we use to describe ourselves. Instead, we talk about the health and wellbeing of people and communities, how inequalities are a barrier to good community health, and what our contribution is to creating a healthier, fairer Scotland. Framing the discussion on our own terms will help strengthen our sector’s confidence and understanding of our own important contribution to public health reform, as individual organisations, and as partners and collaborators with other sectors.
VHS produced a note of the meeting, which you can read here:
VHS note of PHR third sector meeting 18 October 2018
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