Scotland's public health priorities

Next Steps

This document reflects the first step in a long journey. Through concerted effort, strong partnerships and innovative approaches and making the best use of data, technology and intelligence, we will be able to improve the health of population – but progress at the population level will take time.

Over the coming months we will build on the approaches and engagement that have helped develop the priorities. We will drive a strong focus on effective partnerships of national and local government, the NHS and wider public services, the third and private sectors and communities themselves. Strong partnerships already exist across Scotland, but we need to make these common, and we need to ensure a strengthened and renewed focus on ‘wellbeing creation’.

The description of the priorities in this document set out the many different activities already underway or planned. We will continue to deliver this work and to deliver new approaches and new interventions in the coming years.

Our new national public health body – Public Health Scotland – will also have a key contribution to make in supporting the delivery of these priorities, with a focus on supporting the delivery of change at a local level, and providing data, intelligence and leadership in digital innovation. Work is underway on the development of the organisation and it is expected to be established in 2019.