VHS Policy News

October 2025

Dear Colleague,

It’s been a busy few weeks for the VHS team. We launched our Manifesto for Health Creation on the 2nd October, several days after the publication of a Joint Statement on Prevention. There is also much to catch up on from the wider policy world, so grab a cuppa and find a comfy seat!

Sarah Latto, Policy and Public Affairs Lead

Manifesto for Health Creation

On 2nd October, we were delighted to launch our Manifesto for Health Creation at an event held at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. Over 40 members and stakeholders joined us to hear more about the manifesto asks. We also heard from a VHS member – Sarah Pryde-Smith from Simba – about why they engaged in the VHS manifesto development process.

We would encourage our members and stakeholders to actively support our manifesto and help us to build a movement for health creation! Share it with your networks and reinforce our manifesto asks in your own influence work. We’d also welcome opportunities for collective influence too.

Joint Statement on Prevention

A partnership of third and community organisations, including Voluntary Health Scotland, have come together to set out the urgent action required to achieve the prevention-centred system needed to tackle Scotland’s growing health inequalities crisis.

The statement was published jointly by Edinburgh Community Health Forum, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE), Scottish Community Development Centre, and Voluntary Health Scotland. It was developed in response to major policies and frameworks which set out prevention as a key approach to how public services should operate.

Find out more and read the statement and prevention case studies here.

VHS Response: Scotland's Census 2031

On 30th September we submitted our response to the National Records of Scotland consultation regarding the 2031 Census. Scotland’s Census is a rich source of data for many third sector health organisations. Its large sample size and open accessibility allow for more detailed analysis than other datasets.

We therefore believe that the 2031 Census must build on existing questions related to health and wellbeing to ensure it continues to reflect health trends and policy priorities. In particular, it is vital that the Census reflects the shift to preventative interventions that promote health creation in Scotland.

Read our response and recommendations here.

Cross Party Group (CPG) on Health Inequalities

The last meeting of the CPG on Health Inequalities was on the 10^th September with a theme exploring Health Inequalities and Poverty. You can now read the draft minutes for the meeting here. To find out more about the CPG and how to join, please get in touch.

if you are interested in finding out more about the CPG, get in touch.

VHS is backing the 'Scotland Demands Better' campaign

Voluntary Health Scotland has signed up to the Scotland Demands Better campaign, led by VHS member the Poverty Alliance. We invite our wider members to get involved too. Read why we've chosen to support this crucial campaign here.

Get Involved!

Gender and Health Social Research Project

In the next few weeks we will be inviting members to participate in a social research project exploring the relationship between gender and health. The research will explore the relationship between health and gender identity, with a particular focus on health inequalities related to gender. It will also explore how gendered experiences of health intersect with other forms of identity, including sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, income, and caring status.

This project will primarily draw on evidence generated by our member organisations whilst also referencing a range of national health data sets and relevant academic research.

Watch this space for more information, or get in touch with me if you can’t wait to hear more!

Consultation: Chronic Pain

The Scottish Government has opened a consultation looking at their Quality Prescribing for Chronic Pain guide for improvement 2026-2029. One of the areas they would like views on is non-pharmacological approaches to chronic pain, including social prescribing.

We have already hosted a consultation event on this topic, but it is not too late to share your views! Get in touch with me by the 24th October if you have any insights or evidence you think might be relevant.

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 next year. This bulletin will share a selection each month. If you would like your manifesto to be shared in this bulletin, please send it to me.

Below is a selection of the manifestos we have been sent in recent weeks.

First Minister announces new ‘walk in’ GP clinic network

During his speech to the SNP party conference on 13^th October, John Swinney outlined policies aimed at supporting health and social care, including a network of walk-in GP clinics to improve access to primary care. The clinics will be open seven days a week, 12:00-20:00 and would be staffed by GPs, nurses and support staff.

Scotland’s NHS and social care app to launch in 2026

The Scottish Government has announced that a new health and social care online app, MyCare.scot, will be available to everyone across Scotland from April 2026, following an initial launch in Lanarkshire in December. The new service will be accessed through a secure digital identity and will allow users to access some personal information and the national service finder from NHS inform.

Decrease in alcohol-related deaths

New figures have revealed a 7% decrease in alcohol-specific deaths in 2024. The figures from the National Records of Scotland show the lowest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered in any year since 2019. Male deaths continue to account for around two thirds of deaths, and alcohol-related mortality rates were 4.5 times as high in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived areas.

Charity calls for alternative to CAMHS

Children First has called for investment in a national rollout of a different approach to improve children’s mental health. The call comes following the publication of an independent evaluation showing that the charity’s family wellbeing model has reduced repeat child mental health visits to GPs by more than 86%. The call has been backed by young people, their families and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Funding for long COVID services

The Scottish Government has announced £4.5m of funding to health boards this year, and in future years, to recruit staff and develop sustainable services for those experiencing Long COVID and other similar health conditions.

Importance of whooping cough childhood vaccination

Public Health Scotland has highlighted findings from a paper published in the medical journal, Eurosurveillance, which show that fully vaccinated children aged eight weeks to 17 years were 69% less likely to be hospitalised with whooping cough (pertussis). The study, which looked at the impact of vaccination on whooping cough-related hospital admissions in children between January 2013 to July 2024, demonstrates the significant protective effect of this childhood vaccination.

Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill

The Scottish Government has introduced the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill. The bill will introduce rules about non-surgical procedures and make offering non-surgical procedures illegal in certain circumstances.

Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill falls at Stage 1

The Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill fell at Stage 1 on 9th October, with 52 MSPs voting for and 63 voting against. The legislation, put forward by Douglas Ross MSP, would have given anyone diagnosed as having a drug or alcohol addiction the right to treatment within three weeks of their diagnosis. However, concerns were raised during committee evidence that, by only applying to those with a formal diagnosis, the proposals could reinforce stigma, create barriers to recovery and risk legal challenges.

Transfers to Social Security Scotland Carer Support Payment

The Scottish Government has confirmed that around 118,000 unpaid carers who were receiving Carer’s Allowance have had their benefit awards safely and securely transferred to Social Security Scotland’s Carer Support Payment

Relevant Consultations

Consultation survey on Anne's Law – Closes Friday 17^th October
Quality Prescribing for Chronic Pain 2026-2029 - Scottish Government consultations – Closes Friday 31^st October
Scotland's Census 2031 - Topics - Scottish Government consultations - Closes Tuesday 11^th November
Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill - Scottish Parliament – Closes Friday 14^th November
NHS Delivery - a new national delivery organisation to lead transformation across our health and social care system - Scottish Government consultations - Closes 30^th November

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!