VHS Policy News

April 2026

Dear Colleague,

This will be our last Policy News before the Scottish Parliament election on the 7th May and we are urging as many VHS members as possible to sign our Movement for Health Creation Open Letter to Scotland's new MSPs.

We also have a very exciting update about our (IN)VISIBLE research report exploring the relationship between gender and health.

Sarah Latto, Policy and Public Affairs Lead

Get Involved!

VHS Member? Sign our Movement for Health Creation Open Letter!

We are inviting VHS members to sign an open letter which will be sent to new and returning MSPs after the election. We want as many MSPs as possible to prioritise health creation and health equity during the next parliamentary term. Together our voice is stronger, so sign up now!

Find out more here

Launch Event: VHS Gender and Health Research

We're excited to invite you to attend the launch event of our (IN)VISIBLE research report exploring the relationship between sex, gender and health from a Scottish Third Sector perspective.

This event will take place online via Teams on Tuesday 19th May, 1-2pm. After hearing a summary of the findings, attendees will hear from several VHS members who contributed to the research before a Q&A.

Sign up now!

Share your Views: Right to Breaks for Unpaid Carers

We are intending to respond to the Scottish Government consultation on the implementation of rights to breaks for unpaid carers, and would welcome your views on what we should include in our response. Please get in touch by Wednesday 13th May if you would like to contribute.

Election 2026: Guidance for Third Sector Health Organisations

Ahead of the election in May, VHS has developed a handy Election 2026 Toolkit stacked with useful information and resources for influencing candidates and parties. This includes a letter template, social media graphics, and links to ensure you are campaigning safely and legally.

Key Messages from Prevention and Power: Holyrood, Health and the Third Sector

Following our successful joint hustings with The Health and Social Care Alliance on the 31st March, featuring representatives from all six of the main parties in Scotland, you can now read the Key Messages from the event.

Workshop: Accessing 2022 Scottish Census Data with National Records of Scotland

Join VHS and National Records of Scotland (NRS) for an informative workshop looking at how to access and interrogate data from the 2022 Scottish Census.

Sign up now!

Meeting with Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

On the 24th March representatives from VHS met with Jenni Minto MSP, Minister for Public Health and Women's Health. We covered a range of issues, including improving uptake of vaccinations, VHS Manifesto for Health Creation asks, and the upcoming VHS research exploring the relationship between gender and health.

National Performance Framework Review

We responded to the recent Scottish Government call for views on the National Performance Framework (NPF). We shared our reservations regarding the apparent change in direction since previous engagement in 2024, and expressed the need for the NPF to be more explicitly embedded in all levels of decision-making, budgeting, and scrutiny.

Read our response

Green Health Framework Response

We published a statement following the launch of Scotland's Green Health Framework: Advancing Green Health in Scotland. Read our response.

Wider Policy Developments and Publications

The following is a summary of relevant policy developments, but it is not an exhaustive list. Please contact me if you want to speak about something not listed here.

Member and Stakeholder Manifestos

Many of our members will be publishing manifestos ahead of the Scottish parliament election in May. If you would like your manifesto to be shared in this bulletin, please email it to me.

Below are links to various manifestos of VHS members.

Election 2026: Party Manifestos

Scottish Labour have pledged to expand mental health services in their Manifesto.

Scottish Conservatives pledge to deliver faster GP appointments in their Manifesto.

Reform UK have pledged to significantly reform the NHS in their Manifesto.

The Scottish Greens have pledged to embed community link workers in all GP practices in their Manifesto.

The SNP are planning to launch their manifesto on Thursday 16th April and the Liberal Democrats are scheduled to launch theirs on Friday 17th. However, both have already shared some of their key health pledges.

RCGP survey raises concerns about patient safety

The majority of Scotland’s GPs believe patient safety is being compromised due to rising workload pressures, according to a survey by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) as reported in the Herald.

PHS releases quarterly data on naloxone programme uptake

Public Health Scotland has released quarterly figures which show Scotland’s national naloxone programme continues to expand, with 9,646 take-home kits issued between July and September 2025; the second highest quarterly total on record.

Neil Gray writes to Health, Social Care and Sport Committee regarding UK Four Nations Pandemic Preparedness Strategy

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has published a letter from Neil Gray to notify it of the publication of the UK Four Nations Pandemic Preparedness Strategy.

Public Services Delivery Scotland formed on 1st April

NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) and NHS Education for Scotland have merged to become Public Services Delivery Scotland. Read the press release.

Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland outlines priorities for her role

In an interview with Holyrood Magazine, Scotland’s first Patient Safety Commissioner, Karen Titchener, said MSPs should pay close attention to her work because it will expose systemic weaknesses in Scottish healthcare, particularly where patient concerns are not being heard and where accountability is lacking.

Scottish Government publishes NHS progress report for 2025-2026

The Scottish Government has published A Year of Progress: Driving Improvement and Building a Stronger NHS, outlining progress across health and social care during 2025-2026 and setting out the next phase of reform.

Action plan sets out steps to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040

The Scottish Government has published a Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan, outlining a programme of work to achieve population-wide elimination of cervical cancer by 2040.

Scottish Government publishes guide on quality prescribing for chronic pain

The Scottish Government has published Quality Prescribing for Chronic Pain: A Guide for Improvement 2026-2029, setting out a person-centred approach to managing chronic pain, including guidance on utilising local social prescribing offers.

UK Covid-19 Inquiry finds patients were failed during pandemic

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has published its Module 3 report on the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems of the UK which found that patients were harmed as a result of NHS pressures during the pandemic. Public Health Scotland has responded to the report.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee publishes 2025-26 annual report and Session 6 legacy report

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has published its annual report for 2025-26. The committee has also published its Session 6 legacy report, detailing extensive scrutiny of high-profile bills including the National Care Service/Care Reform bill, the assisted dying bill and the non-surgical procedures bill.

Relevant Consultations

Right to Breaks for Unpaid Carers - implementation – Closing 22nd May

Protections in the justice system for women and girls – Closing 19th June

That's all for this month! If you have any questions in the meantime, or suggestions for future editions of this bulletin, please get in touch.