Today Public Health Scotland’s first strategic plan 'A Scotland where everybody thrives' is launched. It sets out our vision to make Scotland a place where everyone thrives. A Scotland where healthy life expectancy increases, where the nation’s health is protected and where health inequalities are a thing of the past.
Supporting Scotland’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the wider social recovery, remains at the forefront of Public Health Scotland’s work. Alongside this, we will focus on the areas where we can make the biggest difference to the public’s health: mental wellbeing, communities and place, and poverty and children.
The Strategic Plan sets out our clear commitment to working with local and national partners to help deliver it.
Angela Leitch, Chief Executive of Public Health Scotland said:
"We publish this plan today, in what is an unprecedented time for public health. COVID-19 has impacted us all, and tragically, thousands of people have lost their lives. We will continue to support the national response to the pandemic, and we will play our part in building back better, by focusing where we believe we can have the biggest impact on the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland.
"Public Health Scotland was set up to meet the public health challenges of today and tomorrow, and we know our communities face different challenges. We know that people from our poorest communities, disabled people or people from ethnic minority communities are more vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Discrimination, including on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, also causes poorer outcomes. We want to see the greatest improvement in health and wellbeing for those people and communities who currently have the worst outcomes. Together with partners, we will work to do this, by building strong foundations for community health and wellbeing.
"No one organisation, sector or community can tackle these public health challenges alone. Our approach will combine our own expertise, including health protection, data and intelligence and long-term population health, with specialist knowledge and evidence across the public and third sectors. We are also jointly sponsored by COSLA and the Scottish Government, which puts us in a unique position to influence and make change happen, nationally and locally.
"By working together and focussing our efforts, I believe we can, and will, face the public health challenges of today, and in the future, and create a Scotland where everyone thrives."