“From children growing up in poverty to families struggling to heat their house in the winter because their benefits have been cut, inequality affects every aspect of people’s lives – and that has a direct impact on their health and wellbeing”
The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) today call on the Scottish Government to increase action to tackle the ‘bleak reality’ of health inequalities facing local communities across Scotland and invite the people of Scotland to support a stronger national focus on people’s health.
‘Healthy Lives, Fairer Futures’, published by the Faculty of Public Health in Scotland sets out eight priorities for the Scottish Government to act on so that everyone has an equal chance of a long and healthy life, including:
- Making sure that new laws impact positively on the health of Scottish people
- Lessen the impact of UK-wide welfare reform
- Set ambitious, binding targets to reduce child poverty
This call to action was written following an extensive consultation with the 350 FPH members who are public health experts living and working in Scotland to improve the health and wellbeing of local populations.
FPH members in Scotland, who work in a variety of roles advising, leading and coordinating public health work in the NHS, local councils and charities at a local, regional and national level were invited to identify threats to public health where more action could lead to a significant improvement. Inequalities in health were identified as a very significant threat to health; a stark example of this is in Glasgow where people in the most deprived areas have a life expectancy 15 years less than those living in the wealthiest areas.
FPH Advocacy Lead in Scotland, Josie Murray, said: “Every day I speak to public health professionals who are challenged to improve health in the face of the significant health inequalities in Scotland.
“From children growing up in poverty to families struggling to heat their house in the winter because their benefits have been cut, inequality affects every aspect of people’s lives – and that has a direct impact on their health and wellbeing.
“We’re looking forward to working in closer partnership with other charities and organisations and together, fight for a fairer Scotland because we believe that every person deserves the best chance of a healthy life. That’s why we’re calling on the Scottish Government to make sure that any new laws impact positively on people’s health or wellbeing, and to deliver on their manifesto commitment to make a greater impact in tackling health inequalities.”
Convenor of FPH in Scotland, Dr Julie Cavanagh, said: “Inequalities in health are not inevitable; changes are required across many areas of society and we are asking the Scottish people to support government action to take these changes.”