Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway welcomes the publication of Scotland’s Population Health Framework 2025-2035 and, in particular, a recognition of the vital role played by the community and voluntary sector in creating the conditions for good health and wellbeing.
This framework must mark a turning point, at a time when poverty and inequalities – including health inequality – remain entrenched across Scotland, and with evidence that progress has stalled and even widened in the past five years.
This new Framework, along with the recently published Public Service Reform Strategy, cannot be further ambitions left within unfunded policy documents and must be the start of sustained, meaningful change. We believe, with the right investment and being valued as a key collaborator, our sector can play its part.
Good health and wellbeing is created in communities, not in health care systems. While accessible and responsive public services remain crucial, true wellbeing is built from people and place, from relationships. Health creation is just as important as health and care service delivery. Public services must be designed around the realities, strengths, environment and needs of the people they serve.
We are particularly pleased to see the strong recognition of the community and voluntary sector in this framework.
The Scottish Government stated: “The community and voluntary sector is uniquely situated to build trust, reach key population groups and support prevention through person-centred approaches and the delivery of vital services that underpin the building blocks of health.
“Rooted in, and trusted by, the communities they serve, they are often better positioned than public services to work with marginalised and disadvantaged communities, and to reach those most likely to experience health inequalities.”
It added that the sector can support a shift to a more prevention focused system by contributing to improved population health in key ways:
- Supporting families and individuals to access housing, employment, education, training and income maximisation.
- Strengthening communities and increasing social capital by supporting people to participate in community activity and local decision-making.
- Delivering and coordinating a range of primary prevention activities such as support groups, opportunities for arts, physical activity, outdoor activity, learning, volunteering and social support.
- Enabling access to services as well as decision-makers so services are shaped around the needs of people and communities, including marginalised groups.
This acknowledgment is welcome and overdue, however, we know that the recognition of the sector alone is not enough.
For this framework to deliver real change, we now need:
- Direct national strategic investment in the capacity of our sector
- Full integration of the community sector in all strategic decision-making spaces that shape communities
- A willingness from public services to share and transfer power and resources into community-led models of action
- A new way of measuring success – focusing on collective outcomes for people and places, not just service activity or policy plans
In Dumfries and Galloway, we will continue to work across the region to ensure the third sector remains at the heart of decision making – through active participation in the Community Planning Partnership, Integration Joint Board, and other key forums. We are also committed to attracting and sustaining investment in our collective capacity and leadership to drive community-led health and wellbeing forward.
This framework gives us an opportunity – now it’s time to match vision with action, ambition with investment and policy with practice.
For more: Population Health Framework Supporting Sector Summaries: Community and Voluntary Sector