| Summary |
| |
| Chapter 1 sets the scene for a healthier Scotland. It
describes how the White Paper grew from the Government's
1998 Green Paper, Working Together for a Healthier
Scotland; and from the supportive comments,
discussions and ideas which that Paper set in train. It
calls for a coherent attack on health inequalities, a
special focus on improving children and young people's
health, and major initiatives to drive down cancer and
heart disease rates. |
| Chapter 2 commissions linked action at 3 levels, with
national priorities to improve Scotland's health. The
first level means improving life circumstances - social
inclusion, jobs, income, housing, education and
environment - that impact on health. The second level
means tackling lifestyles like poor diet and lack of
exercise, tobacco, alcohol and drug misuse that lead to
illness and early death. The third level means direct
work to tackle what can be prevented - such as heart
disease, cancer and accidents - and to improve child,
mental, oral and sexual health. At all 3 levels, tackling
inequalities will be the overarching aim. Central to this
approach will be cross-Departmental work in The Scottish
Office to focus social and economic policy on positive
health impact. There will be 4 big demonstration
projects, to help local successes lead the way to better
health Scotland-wide. |
| Chapter 3 sets out measures taken since the Green
Paper was published to tackle people's life
circumstances. These steps span social inclusion, help
for families with young children, education, housing,
community care, employment and training, transport,
environment and crime. They add up to a sustained
programme of social and economic change, supported by new
funding, and are expected to lead to better health,
especially in Scotland's least healthy neighbourhoods.
Further work to support health by The Scottish Office,
local authorities and the Health Education Board for
Scotland, and others, is in hand. |
| Chapter 4 sets out action to improve diet and
physical activity, and reduce smoking, alcohol and drug
misuse. It includes new laws to ban tobacco advertising;
enhanced health promotion campaigns targeting young,
pregnant and low income smokers; new services to help
smokers quit; extra funding for diet action; a new
National Physical Activity Task Force; a funded programme
of work on alcohol misuse, including a new national
committee; and an enhanced strategic framework to
co-ordinate and focus drug misuse measures in Scotland. |
| Chapter 5 deals with action on health topics. New
measures include a Scottish resource pack to promote
effective health support for children and parents in
early years; measures to gauge local support for water
fluoridation schemes; pilot schemes for fluoridated milk;
a dental disease 'prevention from birth' programme;
funding for outside help for schools to provide high
quality and well balanced sex education programmes;
strong initiatives on heart disease, cancer and mental
health; and steps to reduce accidents. |
| Chapter 6 describes how the many agencies that can
help improve Scotland's health can work better together.
A Public Health Strategy Group, chaired by Scotland's
Minister for Health, will ensure health-friendly policies
and initiatives throughout The Scottish Office, and the
use of Health Impact Assessment. Health boards will lead
and encourage health promotion and health improvement
throughout their services, demonstrating clear reductions
in health inequalities, and offering support to other
bodies, including local authorities who are in a strong
position to influence health. There will be reviews of
how nurses help to improve public health, focusing on
health visitors, school and practice nurses; and how we
can maximise the contribution of public health medicine
and dentistry. Other steps include strengthened
collaboration between health boards and local
authorities; a public health post in the Convention of
Scottish Local Authorities; improved health and lifestyle
information for the public; application of Health Impact
Assessment; a separate advisory panel for Scotland, to
help the New Opportunities Fund assess bids for the
£34.5m of Lottery funding available to set up Scottish
healthy living centres; a specialist unit to develop
further health education and health promotion in schools;
stronger workplace health promotion; updating Scotland's
public health legislation and HIV promotion strategy; and
new guidance on handling outbreaks of food and
water-borne diseases. |
| Chapter 7 announces 4 major health demonstration
projects. "Starting Well" will
concentrate on young children. "Healthy
Respect" will focus on responsible sexual
behaviour, and fewer unwanted teenage pregnancies. "The
Heart of Scotland" will target heart disease,
with important benefits too for cancer and stroke. "The
Cancer Challenge" will bring Scotland's first
screening programme for colorectal cancer and new
measures to combat the cancerous effects of smoking. Each
will reflect the 3 level approach, with a focus on
inequalities, matching the particular health theme with
linked work on lifestyle and life circumstances. Each
will be a local project, but also a teaching resource for
Scotland. |
| Chapter 8 covers research, evaluation, targets and
monitoring. Measures include extended work on public
health research and new health targets. Scotland's Health
Minister will head a group which will oversee the
implementation of the White Paper, drawing its membership
from public, private, voluntary and community sectors,
with a special responsibility for ensuring that people
within communities are involved in decisions about their
health. |
| Annex A to Chapter 8 sets out Scotland's health
targets, taking 1995 as the baseline and 2010 as the
target date. Headline targets are set for coronary heart
disease, cancer, smoking, alcohol, unwanted teenage
pregnancies and dental health. The inequalities gap which
exists for each of these targets will be regularly
measured to assess progress in reducing the disparity in
health status between different socio-economic groups.
Further work is also being taken forward to develop
measures which reflect health and well-being within
population groups; and the 4 demonstration projects will
each have an inequalities component, includng targets and
indicators of progress. |
| Many of
these measure will start quickly. For the longer term,
the new Scottish Parliament and Executive will have the
powers to take the decisions and actions which will help
lead to a healthier Scotland. |
