Tag: Public Health Scotland

A Fairer, Healthier Scotland: COSLA comments on new report

The Institute for Health Equity’s new report A Fairer, Healthier Scotland: The Collaboration for Health Equity reinforces that health inequalities are largely driven by the conditions of daily life that shape health, including income, housing, work and education, rather than access to health services alone.

The Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES) is a partnership between Public Health Scotland, University College London’s Institute of Health Equity (directed by Professor Sir Michael Marmot) and three collaborating areas: Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.

Each area utilised local evidence to develop their own priorities to reduce inequalities, with a shared emphasis on prevention and working in partnership.

COSLA’s Spokesperson for Health and Social Care Cllr Paul Kelly commented: “Through our unique position close to communities, Local Government already has a strong understanding of the wider social, economic and environment determinants which act as the building blocks of health.

“This report reaffirms that empowering local authorities to develop place-based solutions makes a positive difference to people, families and communities, preventing issues before they arise and reducing inequalities in outcomes.

“As a joint sponsor of Public Health Scotland, COSLA will explore how we can build on this successful approach, creating the conditions for more people to live longer, healthier and fulfilling lives.”

A Fairer, Healthier Scotland: The Collaboration for Health Equity is an independent assessment authored by University College London’s Institute of Health Equity outlining progress and opportunities arising from the Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland.

The first phase of the programme ran from 2024 to 2026 and aimed to better understand barriers to reducing health inequalities and to test practical approaches for improving health equity.  

More information about CHES can be found here: ww.publichealthscotland.scot/ches

Cancer in Scotland: Health inequality ‘shameful’

‘WE NEED TO GRASP THE NETTLE’ SAYS CHARITY CHIEF

New figures published by Public Health Scotland reveal that after adjusting for age, people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland are 22% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than people who live in the least deprived areas.

Full data here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-incidence-in-scotland/cancer-incidence-in-scotland-to-december-2024/

Peter Hastie, External Affairs Manager Scotland at Macmillan Cancer Support said: “It’s shameful that in 2026, we’re still seeing that people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than those living in the least deprived areas.

“Worse still, we know someone’s experience of cancer can be made much worse simply because of who they are or where they live.

“As we’ve seen with today’s data, we need to grasp the nettle by ensuring all routinely published cancer data includes a breakdown for deprivation as standard. It’s only by understanding where people are getting left behind that we can tackle this inequity once and for all.”

Key facts

  • The latest official statistics for Scotland show that after adjusting for age, people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland are 22% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than people who live in the least deprived areas[i]
  • The deprivation gap remains even greater for certain types of cancer, with people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland more than three times as likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer and around twice as likely to be diagnosed with head and neck cancer, compared to people in the least deprived areas[ii]
  • Women and people assigned female at birth who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland are also 2.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than those in the least deprived areas[iii]
  • Macmillan’s analysis of other recent official data for 2024 shows people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland have a 78% higher risk of dying of cancer than people who live in the least deprived areas[iv]
  • There are around 3.5 million people living with cancer in the UK, the highest figure ever reported for the UK and including around 290,000 people in Scotland[v]  
2026-08-18-cancer-incidence-report-summary-finalDownload

If you or someone you love is affected by cancer, we’re here, whatever you need to ask. Call Macmillan’s free support line on 0808 808 00 00, open every day 8am to 8pm or visit our website at www.macmillan.org.uk.    

Scottish Emergency Departments experiencing ‘unsustainable’ summer pressure

Thousands wait more than half a day for treatment

The Scottish Government must make tackling Emergency Department (ED) overcrowding a political priority – as hospitals continue to take a battering in summer.  

That’s the message from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine following the publication of Public Health Scotland’s latest ED performance statistics.  

The figures, covering June 2026, showed that almost one in 20 patients (or a total of 6,023) waited in a major ED more than 12 hours before being discharged, admitted or transferred.  

Meanwhile, the proportion of patients entering and exiting the ED within four hours was the lowest of any June on record.  

Dr Fiona Hunter, Scotland Vice President at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The pressure facing Scottish Emergency Departments this summer is unsustainable. We are seeing overcrowding in the month of June which would have previously been unthinkable.

“Across the country, record numbers of patients are stuck in our departments for hours upon hours because the entire system is clogged.  

“The human cost of this must not be ignored: these are extremely sick and injured people who have come to us at a vulnerable time of need. Many of them need a hospital bed, but what they instead receive is a 12-hour stint on a trolley in a crowded, bright and noisy ED. 

“Our staff have to look patients in the eye every day and explain that they are in for a long stay. It’s an unacceptable and, frankly, embarrassing state of affairs and a far cry from what was promised by the new Scottish Government in its first 100 days in power.” 

The stats also showed that across June, there was a daily average of 1,946 beds being occupied in hospital wards by patients who were medically fit to leave – but who had not been discharged. This represents a lack of improvement on summer 2025, where delayed discharge figures broke records.  

RCEM set out, in its State of Emergency Medicine in Scotland report earlier this year, the links between delayed discharges, ED overcrowding and, ultimately, excess patient deaths.  

“Delayed discharge is crucial to tackling this crisis. If wards could move medically fit patients out of beds in good time, it would significantly ease congestion in A&E. 

“This should be a priority among policymakers but, to date, they have let us down. 

“It’s been almost three months since the election and the government has had plenty of time to act on this year-round crisis in our EDs. Today’s numbers are further proof that the current approach is not working.  

“I call on Angela Constance, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, to engage with us – and other Royal Colleges – to reform the ‘back door’ of our hospitals and, ultimately, save lives.”  

RCEM_SoEM_Scotland_A4_0326Download

£15 million fund to strengthen flood resilience

Funding to support most vulnerable communities

A new £15 million fund has been launched to improve the resilience of communities across Scotland most at risk from flooding.

Funding will be provided to local groups, communities and local authorities to help them improve their flood resilience and preparedness.

The funding will support sustainable drainage, including natural features like green spaces and planting, to reduce flood risk and future proof existing flooding infrastructure. Coastal communities will benefit, with support available for innovative coastal resilience projects to replenish sand dunes and reduce flood risk in towns like Montrose.

Additional support will be available for communities recovering from the impact of recent flooding, while Public Health Scotland will develop a new interactive tool combining flood risk data with population and demographic data to help identify communities and groups most at risk in the future.

A new Flood Advisory Service will support local authorities in delivering major flood protection schemes more efficiently, reducing delays and improving value for public money.

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action Gillian Martin said: “Climate change means, globally, we are facing an increasing flood risk, and Scotland is not immune to that. We are determined to take action now to protect people, homes and livelihoods.

“This £15 million package delivers on our 100 days commitment to invest in flood mitigation and prevention, with support targeted where it is needed most. By working closely with communities, local authorities and expert partners, we are investing in practical measures that will strengthen resilience and adapt to the challenges of the future.

“From community-led projects and nature-based solutions to better data, improved infrastructure and more effective flood protection schemes, this investment complements our wider Flood Resilience Strategy to help build a safer, more resilient Scotland.”

Scottish Government hails GP walk-in centres progress

New figures show that more than 7,000 consultations were held at Scotland’s first GP walk-in services. 

The number of consultations at the centres increased to a high of 2,299 in June as services were established, Public Health Scotland data shows.  

The services are part of an innovative pilot, testing a new way of accessing same-day care from GPs or Advanced Nurse Practitioners at a wider range of times. They have been designed to provide more choice for patients while helping to relieve pressure on wider NHS services.

Between February and June GP walk-in pilot services were opened in six locations.

Health Secretary Angela Constance said: “We have promised to end the frustrating 8am rush for GP appointments and this new data shows that more people are benefiting from appointment-free care, at a time that works best for them. 

“Some 7,082 walk-in consultations have already been carried out – giving patients access to urgent, same-day care – and we will roll this out to many more communities over the weeks and months ahead. 

“Our focus is not simply on counting every patient, but on making every patient count. The pilot is just getting started and as it grows we will know more about how it is working.  

“But behind every attendance is a person who has received timely assessment, reassurance, treatment or advice that may have improved their experience, supported earlier intervention, or prevented a more serious outcome. 

“We have opened ten of the originally planned 16 GP walk-in services in five months and will soon be announcing even more locations as the pilot expands.” 

‘Scheme more about politics rather than practicality’

Dr Iain Morrison, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish GPs committee, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme that doctors had expressed reservations about the walk-in clinics when they were first announced – and it now looked like a case of ‘I told you so’.

He said: “In terms of any pilot it’s important to learn to fail fast. My concern is that we’re not going to learn to close this down when all the evidence suggests that it’s not working. “It’s going to continue to be worked upon, potentially expanded, despite evidence crying out that it’s not having the impact that’s desired.

“The way you improve capacity, to provide as many appointments as are required, is to invest into core services. It’s not to put in additional money into separate services that fail to alleviate the core problem”

General practice walk-in centres – month ending 30 June 2026 – General practice walk-in centres – Publications – Public Health Scotland 

Mum urges young people to get MenB vaccine

A Glasgow mum is urging young people to come forward for vaccination against meningococcal group B (MenB), after her son became critically unwell with meningitis in 2023.   

The MenB vaccine, which helps to protect against meningitis and sepsis (inflammation throughout the body) caused by meningococcal group B bacteria, is now being offered for young people in clinics across Scotland.

The programme aims to protect young people who are at higher risk of infection, especially those who are preparing to start university or college in the 2026/27 academic year, where close contact and shared living arrangements can increase the risk of meningococcal disease.

Gaynor Simpson, mum to Ross who fell ill with meningitis during his first year at university in 2023, said: “Ross became critically unwell after just feeling a bit under the weather. It quickly escalated into a situation where it was unclear whether or not he would survive.

“To see your healthy, thriving 18-year-old child go from feeling a bit off colour to fighting for his life in ICU within the space of a few hours is a feeling that we, as parents, will never forget.

“We are immensely grateful that despite the severity of the infection, he is still with us. It is a very long road to recovery from meningococcal disease and as we have seen from recent outbreaks in the UK, others are not so lucky.

“It is a cruel and unforgiving disease that takes effect at terrifying speed. Given our experience, I can’t stress enough to young people and to their parents how important it is to take up the full two-dose offer of the MenB vaccine.

“It could save your child’s life.”

The MenB vaccine is being offered to:

  • young people born between 1 March 2008 and 28 February 2009, and any others who were in S6 during the 2025-26 academic year, regardless of future education plans
  • undergraduate university entrants under the age of 25 who are starting for the first time in the academic year 2026-27, including international students
  • college entrants under 25 starting for the first time in the academic year 2026-27 while living away from home in shared student accommodation, including international students.

It’s essential to receive two doses of the MenB vaccine, at least 28 days apart, for full protection. Ideally, both doses should be completed before starting college or university.

All health boards in Scotland are offering the vaccination by either appointment or drop-in clinic, or a combination of these. To find out how to get your MenB vaccine in your area, visit www.nhsinform.scot/menb-youngpeople

Dr Sam Ghebrehewet, Head of Vaccination and Immunisation at Public Health Scotland, said: “Immunisation is the most effective way of preventing illness from meningococcal disease.

The roll out of the MenB vaccination programme is an opportunity for all eligible young people to receive vital protection from such a serious and life-threatening disease. We encourage all those who are eligible to take up the offer, and to ensure both doses are received for full protection.”

Read more about Gaynor and Ross’ experience on the Meningitis Now website

More information about the MenB vaccination programme for young people:  www.nhsinform.scot/menb-youngpeople  

More information on signs and symptoms: www.nhsinform.scot/meningitis

Vaccines offer the best protection against meningococcal disease. For information on how to check your own or your child’s vaccination history: 

www.nhsinform.scot/gettingvaccinations

Call for review of bowel cancer screening age

With bowel cancer cases rising among under 50’s in Scotland, extending bowel cancer screening could save more lives.

Public Health Minister @MareeToddMSP has asked the UK National Screening Committee to consider reviewing the recommended age for bowel cancer screening.

First Minister launches £36.9m fund to reduce drug and alcohol deaths

Three-year investment to support prevention, treatment and recovery across Scotland

First Minister John Swinney will today call for a new collective approach to reduce deaths and harms from drugs and alcohol, as he addresses a summit on drugs deaths in Edinburgh.

It comes as a new Alcohol and Drugs Fund, which will provide £36.9 million to frontline services and organisations working with people affected by alcohol and drugs, is launched. 

The summit, organised by Public Health Scotland, will bring together health board chief executives, local authority leaders, justice representatives and third-sector partners alongside people with experience of drug and alcohol use, including representatives from family organisations and recovery groups.

Speaking ahead of the event, the First Minister said: “This new fund will provide more than £36 million over the next three years, supporting prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery.

“It will reach organisations of all sizes – from grassroots groups to larger partnerships – with particular emphasis on improving support for children, young people, and families. I have heard from the third sector about the need for stability and longer-term support – this multi-year funding recognises that.

“We have increased residential rehab capacity, with funded placements now close to our 1,000 target, set new treatment standards, opened The Thistle – the UK’s first safer drug consumption facility – and improved surveillance of the most potent and dangerous drugs entering circulation.

“But it is clear we now require a different collective approach and we need to go further. I am determined we make the change and new ways of working needed – and I am focused on confronting the need for reform of how our public services deliver.

“I am clear there should be a ‘no wrong door’ approach. If someone needs help, our system should be easy and quick to navigate – wrapping around the person rather than making people fit into the system.”

The fund is open to third-sector organisations and public bodies working directly with people who use alcohol and drugs, people in recovery, and their children and families.

It supports delivery of the Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan 2026–35, a joint Scottish Government and COSLA initiative backed by more than £160 million in 2026–27, which sets out a 10-year approach to reducing deaths and harms caused by alcohol and drugs.

Corra Foundation Chief Executive Carolyn Sawers said: “It is a privilege for Corra to deliver this fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. High-quality support for people affected by drugs and alcohol is vital to collective efforts to reducing harms, realising rights and supporting recovery.

“Corra looks forward to working closely alongside people with lived and living experience of drugs and alcohol as we deliver this fund.”

Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland’s Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026 – 2035