In our response to the Scottish Government consultation we welcome Public Health Scotland’s (PHS) aim of creating joined up public health leadership to tackle Scotland’s public health challenges and working across sectors on the national public health priorities. We have also highlighted the need for PHS to remain an independent voice with outward facing accountability to the people of Scotland.

We have raised the need for PHS to develop a common language that both clinical and non-clinical, statutory and non statutory partners can understand and value. We have advocated for the importance of more joined up partnership working and valuing the third sector and embedding them within the new body from the beginning.

We have called for PHS to  have a role in engaging and empowering citizens to take part in decisions that affect their health and wellbeing. We have also urged PHS to adequately support members of their board with lived experience so that they can effectively carry our their roles.

We have also emphasised the need for applied research that supports decision-making and called for data gathering, research and analysis to drive and enable change. At the same time, we think that there needs to be more accountability about what happens in response to research – what decisions are made and what changes.

You can read the full response here – VHS response to the Public Health Scotland Consultation