Standing Committee on Pandemic Preparedness: interim report

Next Steps

The recommendations listed in the section above are not intended to be exhaustive but represent areas where the Committee see particular benefit to Scotland of change or improvement. Each recommendation encompasses a number of areas for further consideration by the Committee, with further detail on these included in the Appendix^[20].

In addition, the Committee noted the fundamental importance to pandemic preparedness of a resilient NHS and health and social care systems, whilst also recognising that issues of operational management, rather than scientific advice, are not within the remit of the Committee. Further detail on this is provided in the Appendix^[21].

There is a great deal of international consensus on the challenges pandemics provide to population health. The key questions for decision-makers are where to prioritise efforts and resources, and where to place focus.

It is vital that efforts to improve future pandemic preparedness should draw on the experience of a wide range of stakeholders and of the public. Over the coming months, the Committee is planning to hold a series of workshops to engage with these groups and inform the final report of the Committee. This is outlined in figure 4 below.

Figure 4. Timeline for responding to the First Minister’s Commission

1 Comission received from the First Minister

2 Plenary SCoPP meetings, working group meetings

3 Publication of the interim report

4 Stakeholder and public engagement, and International Reference Group Meetings

5 Plenary SCoPP meetings, working group meetings, and International Reference Group meetings

6 Publication of final SCoPP report