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Highland Public Health Network: Health Improvement Information Sheet
January 2018
Prepared by NHS Highland’s Health Improvement Team, Public Health
/ @nhsh_wellbeing
Topic / Page
Alcohol/drugs / 1
Communities (incl rurality, community planning) / 2
Early Years, children and young people / 2
Food, weight, physical activity / 3
General / 4
Health Inequalities, equalities, poverty / 4
Mental health and wellbeing / 6
Older people / 6
Oral health / 7
Sexual health / 7
Violence and abuse / 7
Work, health, employability / 7

Alcohol/drugs

Highland Substance Awareness Toolkit online library with info in relation to drugs and alcohol in Highland. Subscribe to the mailing list on

Communities: community planning, community development, and rurality issues

Consultation. A connected Scotland: tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger communities Scottish Govt draft strategy out for consultation. Closing date 30 April

  • Scottish Government press release
  • Draft strategy out for consultation - - check out the list of engagement events including Aviemore, Inverness, Oban…

Social isolation and loneliness in Scotland: a review of prevalence and trends report by NHS Health Scotland

Community Resources Network Scotland national ‘Reuse versus recycle’ schools challenge 2017. Applecross Primary was the primary schools winner- watch their winning commercial in vintage black and white comedy style (including running the Daily Mile) on

Healthy People and Healthy Places in the WHO European Region – presentationsabout the Place Standard

Community Health Exchange – snippets e-bulletins sharing information between community-led health organisations, health practitioners and policy makers.

Islands Bill – Holyrood Magazine article

Active Aviemore - new initiative aimed at making it as easy as possible for people to move about the town without the need for motorised transport, and ultimately contributing to an improvement in health and wellbeing

Scottish Rural Health Partnership Conference in Inverness, 24-25 May Re-thinking remote – innovative solutions in remote and rural communities healthcare Focus on 5 themes: emergency management and pre-hospital care; education and professional support; community engagement; technology; community care – including physical and mental health and wellbeing. Early Bird registration end January-1 March. Should you wish to note your interest to attend please email:

Aspiring Communities Fund – approved projects – list of approved projects can be found on - includes some from the NHS Highland geographical area

Social Economy Growth Fund: approved projects list of all projects approved for Stage 1 of the Fund - includes some in the NHS Highland geographical area

Social Innovation Fund: approved projects list of approved projects, includes some in the NHS Highland geographical area

Early years, children and young people

Play Highland website of Highland’s Play Improvement Group. Events, news and resources. Conference date is 15 March

Supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools guidance document for NHS Boards, education authorities and schools

Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended) – Extending children’s rights – guidance on the assessment of capacity and consideration of wellbeing The purpose of this guidance is to provide education authorities and schools with non-statutory guidance on the assessment of capacity and adverse impact on wellbeing, which is a requirement introduced as part of the extension of children’s rights.

The expansion of early learning and childcare: evaluation report 2017

Changes in early learning and childcare use and outcomes at age 5: comparing two Growing up in Scotland cohorts

“Can we put the ‘poverty of aspiration’ myth to bed now?” Briefing paper by Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) - based on research using responses from Growing Up in Scotland longitudinal study.

Centre for research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) find out more about the CRFR and its research on

Commissioner for Fair Access –

  • Discussion Paper: Retention Outcomes and Destinations paper considers trends in retention, outcomes and destinations for full-time first degree students at Scottish Higher Education Institutions from deprived backgrounds over recent years
  • Holyrood Magazine article

See under:

  • health inequalities for Holyrood Magazine article on child poverty; Learning Disability Week
  • mental health for Holyrood Magazine article on loneliness and the mental health of young people; SAMH report on school staff training in mental health
  • work and health for items on youth employment, modern apprenticeships

Food, weight, physical activity

Scottish Govt press release about walking a mile a day

Public attitudes to reducing overweight and obesity in Scotland report with data from the Scottish Social Attitudes survey. It looks at how overweight and obesity and their consequences are recognised by people; discusses barriers to maintaining a healthy weight and physical activity; discusses who is responsible for reducing obesity, and what public support there is for this.

See under:

  • Health inequalities for article on deprivation, obesity and cancer
  • Communities for Active Aviemore

General

Connecting Carers – training events across Highland for professionals – to spread the word about changes the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 will have.

NHS Highland– health improvement training prospectus 2018-19 prospectus, calendar and application form can be accessed from:

Transforming nursing, midwifery and health professions’ (NMaHP) roles; pushing the boundaries to meet health and social care needs in Scotland

  • Paper 1: Introduction
  • paper 2: Advanced nursing practice
  • paper 3: The district nursing role in integrated community nursing teams

Scottish Govt Health & Sport Committee seeking views on Corporate Governance by NHS Boards deadline 7 February

Electoral reform in Scotland – public consultation The consultation paper and online response system can be accessed on: Closing date 12 March 2018.

Partnership for Procurement (P4P), event in Inverness on 6 March – supplying to the public sector . P4P is an initiative funded through the Scottish Government’s 10 year Social Enterprise Strategy, supporting social enterprises and 3rd sector organisations to better access public contracts and build partnerships/consortia

Health inequalities, equalities, poverty

Scottish social security agency – delivery agreement between Ministers and CoSLA

  • Scottish Govt press release: “steps taken to make social security more local”
  • “person-centred services” delivery agreement

Social Security in Scotland - the right for applicants to have someone with them during assessments and meetings

  • Scottish Govt press release –
  • Holyrood Magazine item
  • Social Security Commission – Scottish Govt press release

Universal Credit: in work progression randomised control trial information about UC trials and pilots

Personal Independence Payment

  • Payment claimant research – interim headline findings
  • press release
  • government response to second independent review of PIP assessments

Holyrood Magazine articles:

  • deprivation, obesity and cancer – diet as major risk factor
  • Scotland’s new child poverty law and the Holyrood Baby

New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy 2018-2022sets out a vision for a welcoming Scotland where refugees and asylum seekers are able to rebuild their lives from the day they arrive. Four overarching outcomes to achieve the strategy vision are supported by objectives and actions set out across seven themes. Principles of the New Scots approach, which will guide implementation, are also set out

  • Full document
  • Summary
  • Scottish Govt press release

Fuel poverty – Local Authority level estimates 2014-16

Learning Disability Week – 14-20 May 2018. 2018 marks the ‘Year of Young People’ and the theme for Learning Disability Week reflects that. “My Generation” will focus the country’s attention on the experiences of young people with learning disabilities in Scotland.

Poverty and inequality – Oxfam report

  • Report by Oxfam – downloads from:
  • article from Holyrood Magazine

Poverty/low income – articles by Joseph Rowntree Foundation

  • looking at the latest statistics on income of the poorest households
  • looking at impact on low income households of rising cost of living

Child poverty

  • report by End Child Poverty – report on level of child poverty and each constituency, local authority and ward in the UK. Interactive map
  • media article

Homelessness in Scotland: update to 30 September 2017 information on homelessness applications, assessments and outcomes. It also provides snapshot data on households in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2017.

  • Report and data can be accessed on
  • press release from the Scottish Govt

Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill- consideration prior to Stage 3 Scottish Parliament briefing

See under:

  • early years, children for briefing paper on ‘poverty of aspiration’; and discussion paper by Commissioner for Fair Access
  • older people for report on inequalities in later life in England
  • oral health – improvement plan

Mental health and wellbeing

NHS Health Scotland e-bulletins -.

  • Choose Life e-bulletin, December 2017
  • Mental Health Improvement ebulletin, December 2017

NB As of January 2018 these two ebulletins will be replaced by a new Public Mental Health ebulletin. You can sign up for the new Public Mental Health ebulletin on

Holyrood Magazine article on loneliness and the mental health of young Scots

SAMH report “Going to be..well-trained” survey of school staff training in mental health. Press release and link to report

Older people

Inequalities in Later Life. Report presents and summarises the most recent published evidence on inequalities in later life in England. It focuses on 6 key areas: subjective wellbeing; physical & mental health; life expectancy & healthy life expectancy; financial security; social connections; home and living environment.

Oral health

Oral Health Improvement Plan – document setting out the Scottish Government’s direction of travel for the future of oral health improvement and NHS dental services in Scotland

  • Plan. Chapters:- focus on prevention; reducing oral health inequalities; meeting the needs of an ageing population; more services on the high street; improving information for patients; quality assurance and improvement; workforce; finance
  • short guide to the plan:

Sexual health

Blood Borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections, Scotland 2017

report from Health Protection Scotland more info on the Framework -

Violence and abuse

Scottish Govt press release on police training on domestic abuse

Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill – consideration prior to Stage 3 - Scottish Parliament Briefing summarising main issues considered at Stages 1 and 2.

Highland Violence Against Women Partnership website

Work & health including employability

Developing the young workforce, Scotland’s youth employment strategy. Third annual progress report 2016-17

Modern Apprenticeships - Scottish Govt press release, includes reference to “increased support for rural areas”

Fair Start Scotland, employment support 2018 “from April 2018, the new Fair Start Scotland service will aim to help at least 38,000 people to find employment, including those facing barriers to entering the labour market. The key focus of the service will be tailored and personalised support for those who participate”. More information and list of successful bidders across Scotland:

Scotland’s colleges: delivering for all policy paper setting out key facts in relation to the college sector

NHS Highland