On Friday 14th August, we responded to the pre-budget scrutiny consultations for both the Finance and Public Administration Committee and the Public Service Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament. These responses were informed by insights and evidence from our membership captured at our Prioritising Prevention event on the 5th August.
In our responses, which share many of the same themes, we explore Scotland’s spending priorities through a health lens. Health spending has equated to over 30 per cent of the Scottish budget in recent years and, without implementing considerable reforms, this is expected to rise significantly in the years to come. As such, our responses state that planned efficiency savings in the health system are unrealistic and risk undermining ambitions to make the system more sustainable in the longer term.
Reflecting our Manifesto for Health Creation ask around creating a prevention-centred health system, the responses reflect on the success so far of preventative budgeting. led by VHS member feedback, they suggest a more bottom-up approach to budget tagging whereby those delivering preventative services have a greater role in identifying the types of prevention that activity is tagged as. We also advocate for preventative budgeting approaches that focus more on the impact of actual spend which would help to ensure that quality prevention activity is prioritised when decisions are made.
Finally, our responses reflect on the potential role of the renewed National Performance Framework and the promised Human Rights Bill in supporting preventative spending that prioritises wellbeing and human rights.
You can read our full responses here:
Finance and Public Administration Committee Response
Public Service Reform Committee Response
For more information about either of these responses, please contact our External Affairs Lead, Sarah Latto, on sarah.latto@vhscotland.org.uk.
