NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Framework: setting the direction for global citizenship in NHS Scotland

Section 1 - Global Citizenship – Definitions and Scope

This section describes the wider global citizenship context in Scotland and clarifies the scope of the NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme, which focusses on global health partnership work and international volunteering.

Global Citizenship in NHS Scotland

Global citizenship is a broad concept and encompasses many overlapping and interlinked areas of healthcare and of life in general. Global citizenship is defined by the International Development Education Association of Scotland (IDEAS) as follows:

“Global Citizenship describes a sense of belonging to a larger global community, a recognition that every person is a citizen of the world and that we all have responsibilities to each other and to our planet. It involves understanding and appreciating diverse cultures, perspectives, and ways of life, as well as recognising and addressing global challenges such as climate change, poverty, inequality and armed conflict. A global citizen strives to be informed and engaged in both local and global issues, collaborating with others to promote a kinder, fairer and more sustainable world for all.”^[3]

The Programme has already developed wider “Active Global Citizenship” resources, which define global citizenship within NHS Scotland as being based on three key principles: the understanding that inequity leads to health inequality; poverty causes poor health; and climate change is a public health emergency^[4].

In the context of the NHS, areas such as environmental sustainability, addressing health inequalities, working towards the SDGs, and participating in international health partnerships all fall under the umbrella of “global citizenship”.

The NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme

The NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme aims to increase NHS Scotland’s global health contribution by making it easier for all NHS staff to participate in global citizenship, both here in Scotland and overseas.

The Programme’s focus is on global health partnership work and international volunteering. The Programme is overseen by the NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Advisory Board (“Advisory Board”) and supported by the Scottish Global Health Co-ordination Unit, which sits within the Directorate for the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, in the Scottish Government. The Programme is jointly funded by the Health and the External Affairs Departments of the Scottish Government.

The role of the Programme is to:

1. Create the conditions for a supportive community of NHS staff, who are passionate and dedicated to global health work to be able to come together, network and share learning with each other and overseas partners.

2. Influence NHS policies and practice to make it easier for NHS staff to be able to participate in global health work. This includes evidencing the value of global citizenship participation to Health Boards and wider NHS.

3. Promote good practice in global health work – supporting good quality, effective and ethical global health work, recognising that NHS staff take their NHS reputation with them when they volunteer overseas.

Background

International development is an important part of Scotland’s global contribution. For many years, people from across all staff groups in NHS Scotland have made a significant personal and professional contribution to global health partnership work at home and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

In 2015 the Scottish Global Health Collaborative (now stood down) commissioned the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) to undertake an analysis of international volunteering by Scotland’s health service workers and put forward recommendations on how to optimise the benefits from this activity to healthcare services in partner countries and in the Scottish NHS.

The findings of this work, which are set out in the policy report ‘Global Citizenship in the Scottish Health Service’^[5], highlight the many and varied benefits of global health work to both partners overseas and to individuals, patients and the NHS in Scotland. The report also sets out recommendations for a more structured approach to the management of global citizenship activities across NHS Scotland.

In June 2018 the NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme was formally launched by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the Minister for International Development.

Details of key deliverables are reported in the annual report of the Scottish Government’s overall contribution to international development and published on the Scottish Government website.

Key achievements include:

• National network of Global Citizenship Lead Champions across NHS Scotland Special and Territorial Health Boards
• Scottish Global Health website (www.scottishglobalhealth.org) established providing a range of resources and tools for NHS staff involved in global health work
• Development of a health partnership mapping tool, aligned with the SDGs
• Annual NHS Scotland Global Citizenship conference attended by NHS staff and international attendees and speakers
• Global Citizenship recognised at the Scottish Health Awards, a national award ceremony recognising excellence in health and care
• Production of the ‘NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Doing It Well Guide’^[6] for NHS Boards and staff about how to get involved in Global Citizenship
• Clarification on the use of NHS HR policies to support global citizenship participation
• Publication of materials to promote the global health work of NHS staff and partners, for example the publication ‘Stories of People, Partnership and Place’^[7]

NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Community

The NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Community brings together and supports NHS staff who are passionate about and dedicated to global health partnership work and international volunteering. The Programme supports them to connect and share their ideas, experiences and expertise.

The Community comprises representation from across all staff groups reflecting the important role that all NHS professions play in global health partnership work.

The Community is supported locally by Global Citizenship Lead Champions. This is a national network of individuals who act as local co-ordinators for global citizenship activity within their Health Board and are represented on the Advisory Board.

Members of the Community undertake their global health work through organisations such as charities, Royal Colleges, Universities and in some cases their Health Boards. They are involved in a range of work, from long term health partnerships to providing humanitarian relief in crisis and conflict situations.

Scope

The Programme provides guidance, co-ordination and support to Health Boards and those employed by NHS Scotland as per the original commission from Scottish Ministers.

The Programme does not fund or deploy NHS staff to deliver projects overseas.