The Scottish Parliament Health, Social Care and Sport Committee have issued a call for views on pre-budget scrutiny of the 2024/25 budget. The Committee are keen to hear views in the following areas – budget context, longer term outlook, financial sustainability, and health and social care outcomes.
In our response, we outline the need to take a preventative approach to health and social care spending. The importance of taking a preventative approach to public health was recently recognised by the Chief Medical Officer in Scotland, and such a focus would help ease some of the significant and growing pressures facing health and social care services. Refocusing on prevention is the first step in helping to improve the health of the population as a whole and in addressing deeply entrenched health inequalities across society.
The call for views closes on 25th August 2023.