Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan: What It Means For You

Better Health, Better Care…

The Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan for NHSScotland was launched in December 2007.

It followed a very wide consultation with the people of Scotland, who told us about their hopes, their needs and their fears about their NHS.

Time after time, people stressed to us that it wasn't just the treatment they received from the NHS that was important to them. They also wanted to be treated with dignity and respect, to be listened to and to get the information they need to cope with their illness.

These thoughts were very much to the fore as the Scottish Government developed the Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan. We could see that patients wanted to be partners in their care, with a say in how the NHS is run and meaningful roles in designing and delivering services.

This realisation presented new opportunities to develop a "mutual" NHS in Scotland in which each one of us sees ourselves as partners in the service, with rights and responsibilities.

That is the central message of the Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan. It presents the people of Scotland with the opportunity to take more control of their health and to be more active in deciding how NHS services should be run.

Over the next few pages, I've set out for you the main areas of our Action Plan that will, I believe, result in very healthy benefits for you, your family, your community, and your NHS.

We're setting out a new vision and aspiration for the NHS - I very much hope it's a vision and aspiration you'll share.

Nicola Sturgeon, MSP
Deputy First Minister and
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Well-being