Welcome to our September 2019 E-bulletin: sharing news & views from the VHS network & updates from Scottish Government & the NHS affecting the voluntary health sector.

VHS News & Events

The conference will feature a poster competition showcasing current work and projects which ‘Realise the Right to Health’ - read Blogs by some of our finalists here. 

Healthy Universities for Healthy Communities - Knowledge Cafe Series
VHS is a partner in this new initiative, led by the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Dundee.The final Showcase event, to share conclusions and recommendations, will be held in Dundee on 18 September.  If you would like to attend and for more information, email .

Arts + Health Scotland
To further work on culture, health & wellbeing VHS has joined forces with Arts + Health Scotland, the network for anyone working across culture, arts, health and wellbeing, whether they be artists, organisations, healthcare providers or researchers. AHS aims to connect research, policy and practice, and to be a collective voice for arts and health in Scotland. Join the mailing list or Facebook.

Save the dates!

Health Inequalities Cross Party Group AGM 2019: the HICPG will meet on Tuesday 1 October 2019 at 5pm to hold the AGM and a normal business meeting. The meeting will be chaired by Anas Sarwar MSP, Co-Convenor of the CPG. VHS is Secretariat of the Group. Email  to register.

VHS Parliamentary Reception of the Health Inequalities Cross Party Group, Sponsored by Anas Sarwar MSP, in the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament  on Tuesday 5 November. We are delighted to announce that our guest speaker will be Chris Brown, Head of Europe Office from World Health Organisation discussing the WHO Health Equity Status Report.

VHS AGM will be a half day morning event followed by lunch on 20 November in Edinburgh. We are delighted to welcome guest speakers, Dr William Bird MBE, CEO and Founder of Intelligent Health, GP, creator of Green Gyms, Beat the Street & Health Walks and Professor Roy Robertson, Edinburgh GP and Professor of Addiction Medicine.

Policy News

Analysis of Public Health Scotland consultation responses published
The analysis notes the response rate to the consultation was good, with the majority of respondents expressing broad support for the establishment of the new body and the proposals contained in the consultation. The report also notes the Government will provide further clarity on the specific functions of PHS and the detail of its anticipated relationship with other bodies and partnerships. Respondents expressed that maintaining independence would be key to the success of PHS.

Tackling inequality: guidance on making budget decisions
Informal guidance for policy makers on equality and human rights budgeting. The booklet challenges policy makers to systematically think through 6 key questions to identify ways in which budget decisions could be improved to advance human rights and address inequalities. 

Progress in public health reform
The Scottish Government and COSLA have published a series of animations to support people’s understanding about progress being made in public health reform. These animations include:
* The Role of the New National Public Health Body, Public Health Scotland
* The Six National Public Health Priorities
* The Whole System Approach to Public Health.
In addition, you can also download a document setting out the whole system approach, which includes the nine ‘key characteristics’ of the approach.

The Scottish Government needs your help to improve PIP
In 2020 the Scottish Government will be taking responsibility of PIP from DWP. They want to talk to people, especially those who live in a remote location or who have a mental health condition, who have experience of PIP assessments, to learn how they can make the service better. They plan to set up sessions with people to learn from their experience, co-design solutions and get feedback on ideas for the future service. Email if you are interested in participating.

National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group: delivery plan
Delivery plan of identified actions and priorities for the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG).

Falls and Fracture Prevention Strategy for Scotland, 2019 - 2024
This consultation has been extended and will now close on Monday 30 September 2019. 

VHS Members' News & Events

Call for Support: Open consultation to add folic acid to flour
Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland and the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland have published a Briefing intended to spark the strongest possible Scottish support for preventing neural tube defects (NTDs).  Three successive Scottish Ministers of Public Health, as well as Food Standards Scotland,  have publicly endorsed fortifying flour with Vitamin B9. Adding your voice as an individual expert and/or through your organisation can make a real difference to whether Vitamin B9 fortification becomes a reality: deadline 9 September.

New Toolkits for Ethnic Minorities with Dementia
ACVO has two new toolkits to help ethnic minority communities’ in Aberdeen access dementia support. Aberdeen has the highest proportion of people born outside of the UK of any Scottish city. People from ethnic minority communities tend to be diagnosed with dementia later in their lives and the toolkits aim to explain and raise awareness to ensure an early understanding of what dementia is and how the disease might progress.

Looking to the future of social care & supporting those with a terminal illness  
Scottish Non-Malignant Palliative Care Forum & the Alliance are hosting this event on 9 October, in Glasgow to explore:
-  the sustainability of the current approach to social care
-  how social care would look and be financed in 2030
-  the number of different bodies involved in organising or delivering social care & support 
-  issues of capacity in social care and supporting people approaching end of life

In conversation with Kathryn Mannix, 2 October, 5.30 - 8.30 pm, The Hub, Edinburgh 
Dr Kathryn Mannix has spent her career working with people who have terminal illnesses, optimising quality of life as death is approaching. Marie Curie invite you to join Mandy Rhodes, Managing Director of Holyrood Communications and editor of Holyrood Magazine, in a conversation with Kathryn to discuss the experiences she shares in her book, With the End in Mind. Tickets: £5 including drinks reception.

New partnership to help cancer patients
A new £18 million partnership will offer cancer patients guaranteed emotional, practical and financial advice. The Scottish Government and Macmillan Cancer Support are investing £9 million each to ensure everyone diagnosed with cancer has a dedicated support worker through the Transforming Cancer Care programme. This investment will mean cancer care teams in hospitals are able to focus solely on the provision of personalised medical care and support.

Nicola’s Blog: How to Make Scotland a Leader in Falls Prevention
ROAR in Renfrewshire are leading the field in falls prevention.

Free training to support single parents with Universal Credit process
One Parent Families Scotland are running a series of half-day Universal Credit training sessions for professionals working with single parents, commencing in October, in their Edinburgh office. 

Working in partnership with older adults to increase wellbeing through walking
Living Streets Scotland's Walking Connects project, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, has seen them working in partnership with older adults to increase wellbeing through walking. Walking  helps to keep people connected, increases independence, reduces isolation and benefits health. Two great resources: Case Studies and Guide To Getting Better Streets aim to help make streets work for older adults.  Want to find out more about Walking Connects - please get touch.

Age Is Just A Number
This CVS Falkirk event on 1 October, with partners, Solicitors for Older People, will celebrate national Older People's Day and focus on "Keeping Safe and Well in Your Community".

Free Resources for Money Advice Workers
ASH Scotland have developed free resources for workers or volunteers offering money or debt management advice. Talking about smoking tobacco can be difficult  however at an average £10.80 for a pack of 20, smoking is an expensive habit to maintain. ASH have developed a mock cigarette packet which is leaflet dispenser with tips on quitting smoking. Email for more information / resources.

Contact the Elderly is expanding its work to tackle social isolation in central Scotland 
In addition to expanding its work to combat social isolation and loneliness in the Forth Valley region Contact the Elderly has partnered with The Reading Agency to bring a new initiative - the Reading Friends programme, to Scotland, with help from National Lottery funding.  They are looking to launch groups in Glasgow, Forth Valley and Moray between now and spring 2020. Anyone interested in joining or volunteering with a Reading Friends group should get in touch with Contact the Elderly .

Lunch Club Campaign: Eat Well Age Well 
Eat Well Age Well (EWAW) are encouraging lunch clubs to sign up for a free campaign pack & host a special themed event during UK Malnutrition Awareness Week. Lunch clubs are the perfect setting to have conversations around food, eating & appetite and the Pack, equips you to promote the value of good nutrition & hydration in later life.

Digital exclusion of homeless people
The world is getting progressively digitalised but this is causing a greater exclusion for those living on the streets. Digital exclusion is a pressing issue for the homeless community as it denies them the key tools that most take for granted. This research briefing from People Know How looks at research on the effectiveness of the technologies that those whom are traditionally socially excluded have access to and spaces that are meant to increase inclusion. It also highlights investigations that tell us what those within the homeless community feel they need.

Partnership Towards Third Sector Improvement – Focus Groups
The ALLIANCE are working on Partnership Towards Third Sector Improvement: a collaborative research project with UWS, exploring evidence and experiences around Quality Improvement (QI) in the Third Sector. They are seeking 3rd Sector volunteers to take part in focus groups. The groups will discuss QI and identify gaps in QI training. Two Focus Groups meetings will take place in October:
Tues 1 October, 14.00 – 15.30: Mercure Inverness Hotel, Church Street, Inverness, IV1 1DX
Thur 3 October, 13.00 – 14.30: Best Western Station Hotel, 49 Lovers Walk, Dumfries, DG1 1LT
To participate in either of the focus groups email or to discuss the project email.

The 2019 Cycling Scotland Conference
Takes place on  4 & 5 November at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, bringing together over 250 professionals, campaigners, volunteers, and national and local politicians to share experiences, learn from each other and network to help support cycling in Scotland and beyond. 

Navigate your way to better health
Paths for All have launched the first online map showing hundreds of organised health walks in every corner of Scotland. The  resource shows when and where local walks are taking place as well as information about how to join them. Over 670 walks have been registered so far and Paths for All are now encouraging the public to get online and join their nearest Health Walk to improve their health.

Other News

2020 GSK IMPACT Awards - Core funding and free training for health charities
GSK’s IMPACT Awards reward charities that are doing excellent work to improve people’s health. Organisations must be at least three years old, working in a health-related field in the UK, with income between £80,000 and £2.5 million. Up to 20 awards will be made ranging from £3,000 to £40,000 plus free training valued at up to £9,500. Organisations will also have a film made, receive help with press and publicity and be given a set of promotional materials. Closing date: 23 September 2019.

#ShiftthePower Scotland Comic Relief programme
This new programme will support organisations  with an income of less than £250,000 to make meaningful changes in one of the four strategic areas (children, gender, homelessness & mental health). 
Eligible groups can apply for grants between £1,000 and £8,000.
Closing date: 2pm on 30 September 2019.

The Big Climate Conversation Community Fund
Impact Funding Partners is inviting applications from third sector organisations and community groups to support workshops held before the 31 October 2019 which support the aims of The Big Climate Conversation to engage all sectors of society on Scotland’s response to the global climate emergency. The fund will close on 21 October 2019.

What is Public Health’s role?
This new report on the role of public health in community empowerment can be found on the ScotPHN website. The report aims to provide guidance to Public Health colleagues in Health Boards regarding how to maximize on the opportunities that the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 presents and to inform the role of Public Health Scotland. Focusing on part 3 and 5 of the act (Asset Transfer Requests and Participation Requests). VHS & CHEX were members of the steering group that drew up the report.

Local Government and Public Health Reform - Delivering for communities
This  event on 23 September in Edinburgh will focus on developing and describing the future relationship of local government with the emerging public health landscape, including Public Health Scotland.

Public Health Reform -  Communities as leaders for public health
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in partnership with the Public Health Reform Programme are hosting this event in Edinburgh on 21 October for communities and key stakeholders on the future of public health in Scotland, including the creation of a new national leadership body for health and wellbeing - Public Health Scotland. The event will be an opportunity to find out more about reform and how Public Health Scotland aims to put communities at the heart of public health action in Scotland.

Principles for community empowerment
This Audit Scotland document aims to raise awareness of community empowerment and promote such a shared understanding across scrutiny bodies to support high-quality scrutiny of community empowerment.

Scottish Obesity Alliance calls for restriction to unhealthy food and drinks promotion
In a letter to the First Minister the SOA urges the Scottish Government to restrict price promotions on unhealthy food and drinks to tackle health inequalities and reduce childhood obesity by 50% by 2030.

Unintentional Harm and Injury Online Hub
Building Safer Communities launched an online hub in June which is aimed at local practitioners working across Community Safety and Health to reduce unintentional harm and injuries.  The hub features good Practice Exemplars, which describe local projects and initiatives that are working well, as well as guidance and resources for practitioners. 

Compassionate Care Online Course
Run by the Scottish Improvement Science Collaborating Centre (SISCC) this MOOC course will give you the practical actions and tools you can use to enhance compassionate health & social care.

HIIC Tutor Training
Health Issues in the Community is a training programme which looks at issues such as health, poverty, power and social justice in a different way. It's aimed at increasing community capacity and participation, and establishing/consolidating community development approaches to tackling inequalities in health.

Poverty is the root of Scotland’s fatal drug overdose crisis
This Blog by the Scottish Drugs Forum’s CEO, David Liddell, is on the link between poverty and Scotland’s drug problem. 

Police Scotland Equity & Diversity Unit Blog: Reporting Hate Crime
Ahead of Hate Crime Awareness Week next month, a Blog from Police Scotland on how they are striving to promote and support local policing areas addressing under reporting of hate related crime.

Scottish Government news
More men taking part in bowel screening programme
Citizen Assembly convenor's take office
New healthy food support
Social Security Experience Panels: publications
Disability benefits applications made easier
Scotland's Population: The Registrar General’s Annual Review of Demographic Trends 
£18 million funding for cancer support workers
£1 million for social enterprises
Mental health support for new mums
Increased investment for sanitary products
Organ donation opt out system

Dates for your diary

Sept - Oct Memory Walks 2019
10 Sept CDAS Annual Conference 2019: Community Development: Tackling Inequalities
13 Sept Annual PHINS Seminar 
17 Sept VHS Annual Conference 2019: Realising the Right to Health
19 Sept SPPC Annual Conference 2019 - 'Provocation, Innovation and Eternal Truths'
7-13 Oct Challenge Poverty Week
14-20 Oct  UK Malnutrition Awareness Week
4 & 5 Nov Cycling Scotland Conference
18 Nov Scottish Cancer Conference 2019

Other opportunities for VHS Members
Newsdirect - Political Intelligence
Looking to promote your issues in the Scottish Parliament? Newsdirect is offering VHS members a discount on subscriptions on their daily parliamentary and political briefing, 'Health Today'.
Contact Newsdirect if you're interested in subscribing.