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Covering Letter
Dear Colleague,
I am delighted to present to you our report, Delivering a Healthy Scotland - Meeting the Challenge and to seek your input to the new Annual Public Review process that the First Minister has announced.
The Report provides details of our whole-government approach to health improvement in Scotland. It was launched by the First Minister at a World Health Organisation meeting in Edinburgh on 4 December. The Report highlights the crucial role of health improvement in achieving success and outcomes across the Executive's key policies, and those of its partners. It reflects Cabinet's commitment to put health improvement at the heart of Executive business. The Report also details progress across the 5 priority areas of health improvement which were agreed by Cabinet in November 2005 - the topic areas of smoking, alcohol, physical activity and diet, and the overarching aim of reducing health inequalities. Clear progress against our key targets is illustrated in a range of charts in the Annex.
At the World Health Organisation meeting, the First Minister announced plans for an annual public review of the state of the nation's health, and I am keen that a mechanism is established to engage more fully with our key partners and stakeholders to develop an ongoing dialogue around a regular 'health check' for Scotland. We need to build on the foundation of our successes and harness the momentum which health improvement is generating. We would like your views on the action set out in this Report and on how we should develop an engagement and review process leading up to next year's Report too.
Please direct comments by Friday 2 February 2007 to Miss Laura Ross in the Health Improvement Strategy Division, Scottish Executive Health Department, St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG or laura.ross@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
I hope that this report inspires confidence in our improving health in Scotland. There are challenges for the future, but together we must continue to take bold steps to tackle them and continue our drive towards a healthier Scotland.
ANDY KERR
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