I joined the board of VHS some three and a half years ago and how time has just flown in. What I have been most impressed by is the energy and commitment this platform has given its members to raise, discuss, debate and most importantly voice potential solutions and ideas to help address the health inequalities within Scotland. No matter what perspective you may be coming from the one common goal all members of VHS share is a fundamental desire to continue to address the depth of health inequalities that plague our society, and to look for ways of having a fairer Scotland that offers support with all health-related matters based on need rather than the post code lottery that so often is the case. As health inequalities are socially produced they are therefore equally potentially avoidable and should be considered unacceptable in a caring society, whether before one’s birth, during one’s life or at the end of life.
What I know from social history is that after a pandemic there are several years of instability, not just economic but within societies as they readdress their basic expectations, tolerances, and acceptances. We need to be able to continue to use the VHS platform and space to explore what the challenges are in the health forums, to reflect and think of what will work, what might be worth testing, to improve the lives of our people in Scotland.
At Cumbernauld Action for Care of the Elderley (CACE) we aim to tackle isolation and loneliness of older adults living in the Cumbernauld and northern corridor of North Lanarkshire. It is now a well-known fact that extreme loneliness is like smoking 40 cigarette a day. The damage to one’s mental health, physical and emotional wellbeing in immense. Yet at a time when Local Authorities are having to save vast amounts of money these types of preventative services are not always given the credit they are due. They are seen as the “pink and fluffy” type of activities that can easily be cut. I know that at CACE we are a vital resource that encourages people to address some of their health concerns, that signposts to appropriate and specialised services, that holds people’s hands when they are scared to talk about what might be going on for them, and never underestimates the power and energy socially prescribed activities may offer on someone’s wellbeing. You could argue that by investing in preventative workstreams the pressure on the acute services will ease.
As a board member of VHS I really enjoy hearing from the team about the variety of activities, briefings and reports they are involved in. The VHS website gives lots of information and rich insightful papers that often leave me thinking about the challenges faced by other individuals and groups. The work of VHS has broadened my thinking and I often hear that this is a similar experience for others when at the VHS conference.
Wilma Paterson is a VHS Trustee and CEO of Cumbernauld Action for Care of the Elderly (CACE).