An article examined the widening of inequalities in anxiety and depression over the lifecourse, drawing on a study in the west of Scotland. Differential persistence and symptom progression indicated that intervening to prevent or treat symptoms earlier in life was likely to reduce socio-economic inequalities later: but attention also needed to be given to late adulthood where differential incidence emerged more strongly than differential persistence.
Source: Michael Green and Michaela Benzeval, 'The development of socioeconomic inequalities in anxiety and depression symptoms over the lifecourse', Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Volume 48 Number 12
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
The Scottish Government began consultation on proposals for a mental health Bill. The draft Bill was published alongside the consultation. The consultation would close on 25 March 2014.
Source: A Consultation on Draft Proposals for a Mental Health (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document | Draft Bill
Date: 2013-Dec
The Scottish government began consultation on proposals for Scotland s first strategy for youth sport.
Source: Giving Children and Young People a Sporting Chance: A draft strategy for Scotland, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document | Supporting document | Summary | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2013-Dec
A report examined the implementation of seven day consultant present care in the National Health Service across the United Kingdom. It said that changing practices would have resource implications in hospital, primary care and community settings that would require services to be reshaped and reallocated. It said that workforce flexibility and optimal value could be gained by employing more generalist consultants to lead multi-disciplinary teams. It called for in-depth financial modelling of the resource implications.
Source: Seven Day Consultant Present Care: Implementation considerations, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
Links: Report | AMRC press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of MSPs said that National Health Service boards had engaged well with their enquiries, and with the work that had arisen from the previous year's report. It said that boards needed to strike a balance between savings and efficiencies, meeting local needs, and achieving quality and consistency of services across Scotland. It outlined further work to be completed on measuring the quality of outcomes, and maintenance backlogs. The committee anticipated using its new budget adviser to inform the ongoing approach.
Source: NHS Boards Budget Scrutiny, 10th Report 2013, SP Paper 419, Scottish Parliament Health and Sport Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release
Date: 2013-Nov
The Scottish Government published the responses to its consultation on alcohol licensing.
Source: Further Options for Alcohol Licensing: Summary of consultation responses, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation responses | Summary
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined the construction of 'adults at risk' in Scottish policy on adult support and protection. The policy remained underpinned by unhelpful assumptions about disabled people, older people, and people with mental or physical health problems. A more inclusive understanding of vulnerability would be more empowering to these people and others, in policies concerned with mistreatment and abuse.
Source: Fiona Sherwood-Johnson, 'Constructions of "vulnerability" in comparative perspective: Scottish protection policies and the trouble with "adults at risk"', Disability & Society, Volume 28 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined child health in Scotland. It provided information on the physical activity and health of Scottish children and adolescents.
Source: Child's Play 2013? Active Healthy Kids Scotland report card, Active Healthy Kids Scotland
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined approaches in Scotland to providing care for people living with dementia at home, recommending an '8 Pillars' model of support.
Source: Lindsay Kinnaird, Delivering Integrated Dementia Care: The 8 Pillars model of community, Alzheimer Scotland
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
The Scottish Government issued guidance for local authorities and other corporate parents on supporting looked-after children and young people to remain in care, as part of a staged transition towards adulthood and greater independence.
Source: Staying Put Scotland: Providing care leavers with connectedness and belonging, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Summary | University of Strathclyde press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined the nature and extent of in-work poverty in Scotland and its implications for health. It noted fundamental shifts in patterns of work and a need to move away from dichotomous perspectives of 'employment or unemployment', 'employment or poverty' and 'employment or welfare dependency'. The implications of these changes were generally negative, with a detrimental impact on mental health and well-being. This would be compounded by changes to the United Kingdom welfare system, the resulting increased poverty rates and widened health inequalities. The report recommended a policy focus on the health impact of welfare reforms and further, more robust research on the dynamics of poverty and its impact on health.
Source: Chris Harkins and James Egan, The Rise of In-Work Poverty and the Changing Nature of Poverty and Work in Scotland: What are the implications for population health?, Glasgow Centre for Population Health
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a committee of MSPs said that too many of Scotland's most vulnerable young people had been left in unsuitable home environments when they should have been taken into care. A shared vision of what success would look like for children in care needed to be established, and resources and processes should be built around that vision.
Source: Report on Decision Making on Whether to Take Children into Care, 10th Report 2013, SP Paper 386, Scottish Parliament Education and Culture Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release | Children in Scotland press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article presented research into the governance of adult protection in Scotland, with a particular focus on the outcomes of provision for multi-agency leadership and management of adult safeguarding in the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. It included a comparative analysis of research findings on the governance of adult safeguarding in England.
Source: Sally Cornish and Michael Preston-Shoot, 'Governance in adult safeguarding in Scotland since the implementation of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007', Journal of Adult Protection, Volume 15 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
The watchdog in Scotland for the rights of children and young people said that services for disabled young people and their families had declined significantly as the impact of public sector cuts was felt. There was evidence of cuts in local authority budgets leading to tighter eligibility criteria, support being removed without review or reassessment, and a lack of consultation.
Source: Kirsten Stalker, Charlotte MacDonald, Caroline King, Francis McFaul, Colin Young, Moyra Hawthorn, and Louis Patrizio, 'It Always Comes Down to Money': Recent changes in service provision to disabled children, young people and their families in Scotland, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
Links: Report | SCCYP press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A study examined how outcome models and approaches were being developed for disabled children and young people in Scotland.
Source: Developing an Outcomes Model for Disabled Children and Young People in Scotland, Scottish Government
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined which antecedent risk factors could explain the social patterning in hospital use in the west of Scotland. Overall admissions to hospital were only marginally socially patterned, and less than would be expected on the basis of the gradient in baseline risk. However, there was marked social patterning in admissions for mental health problems. Non-emergency hospital admissions were patterned inversely according to risk.
Source: Gerry McCartney, Carole Hart, and Graham Watt, 'How can socioeconomic inequalities in hospital admissions be explained? A cohort study', BMJ Open, Volume 3 Issue 8
Date: 2013-Aug
An article examined the association between being out of work because of sickness or disability and high mortality, using detailed information from a cohort study in the west of Scotland. It said that the long-term survival prospects of those who were out of work and sick or disabled were considerably poorer than other employment groups.
Source: Frank Popham, Kathryn Skivington, and Michaela Benzeval, 'Why do those out of work because of sickness or disability have a high mortality risk? Evidence from a Scottish cohort', European Journal of Public Health, Volume 23 Number 4
Date: 2013-Aug
A study examined the relationship between taking part in cultural and sporting activities, attending cultural places, and key quality of life measures in Scotland. There was consistent evidence that people who participated in culture and sport or attended cultural places or events were more likely to report that their health was good and that they were satisfied with their life than those who did not participate. This finding remained true even when other factors were accounted for such as age, economic status, income, area deprivation, and education qualification.
Source: Clare Leadbetter and Niamh O Connor, Healthy Attendance? The impact of cultural engagement and sports participation on health and satisfaction with life in Scotland, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Aug
An article examined the governance of adult protection in Scotland since the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. A 'rich and complex' pattern of arrangements, activities, experiences, and challenges was identified across a number of dimensions, including management structures of adult protection committees, development of policies and procedures, multi-agency working, training, performance assessment and quality management, engagement of service users and carers, and operation of the 2007 Act.
Source: Sally Cornish and Michael Preston-Shoot, 'Governance in adult safeguarding in Scotland since the implementation of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007', Journal of Adult Protection, Volume 15 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Aug
An article compared the mortality in those previously hospitalized for mental disorder in Scotland with that experienced by the general population. Early deaths were common, and represented a significant inequality in well-developed healthcare systems. Prevention of suicide and cardiovascular disease deserved particular attention.
Source: Omotomilola Ajetunmobi, Mark Taylor, Diane Stockton, and Rachael Wood, 'Early death in those previously hospitalised for mental healthcare in Scotland: a nationwide cohort study, 1986-2010', BMJ Open, Volume 3 Issue 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined health policy divergence across the United Kingdom since devolution. Scotland's approach had been characterized as 'professionalistic' or 'collaborative': but more nuanced studies of particular policy areas were needed. The Scottish National Party's vision of 'a mutual National Health Service' was a complex, even contradictory, project, that warranted further empirical attention.
Source: Ellen Stewart, 'A mutual NHS? The emergence of distinctive public involvement policy in a devolved Scotland', Policy & Politics, Volume 41 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
An article said that participants in the governance of health affairs in Scotland were making important contributions to the reduction of health inequality and the improvement of population health by: linking policy to address health inequality with policy to make healthcare, public health, social and housing services, and education more effective and efficient; linking policy to address the determinants of health with policy to stimulate economic growth and, as a result, increase employment and income; and embracing and applying research findings about the causes of deficiencies in population health status that contributed to health inequality.
Source: Daniel Fox, 'Health inequality and governance in Scotland since 2007', Public Health, Volume 127 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
A review considered the views and experiences of children and young people on child protection systems in Scotland, based on evidence for the period from 2008 to 2013.
Source: Susan Elsley, Kay Tisdall, and Emma Davidson, Children and Young People's Views on Child Protection Systems in Scotland, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jul
A think-tank report examined what the health and social care system in England could learn from the experiences of the other countries of the United Kingdom. It considered the context in which health and social care were provided; identified policy initiatives that promoted integrated care and the impact of these initiatives; and considered the barriers and challenges to achieving integrated care. The structural integration of the health and social care system in England would bring few benefits unless it was accompanied by other changes, including: a willingness to challenge and overcome professional, cultural, and behavioural barriers; action to share information both within the National Health Service and between health and social care; organizational stability to avoid the distractions and delays that occurred when structures were altered frequently; and a willingness to provide financial support and flexibilities to enable the introduction of new models of care.
Source: Chris Ham, Deirdre Heenan, Marcus Longley, and David Steel, Integrated Care in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales: Lessons for England, King s Fund
Links: Report | Kings Fund press release
Date: 2013-Jul
A think-tank report examined the differences between the United Kingdom's four separate health systems. England's adherence to and extension of market-like mechanisms in managing health differentiated it most dramatically from the other three services. But lack of timely and genuinely comparable data meant that it was hard to say which country was getting better value for money from its health service. The four health departments should therefore agree specific indicators, establish which data was needed to make comparisons, and identify how best to collect that data.
Source: Nicholas Timmins, The Four UK Health Systems: Learning from each other, King s Fund
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jun
An inspectorate report in Scotland welcomed a number of recent improvements in child protection services. Leadership and co-operation were strong; staff were confident about raising concerns; and there was more action to protect particularly vulnerable groups of children. But there was too little contact from social workers with children who just missed the threshold for being on the child protection register, or who had just come off it. Faster intervention was needed when parents could not meet their children's needs. Services also needed to ask more challenging questions about their own performance.
Source: Child Protection Services: Findings of Joint Inspections 2009–12, Care Inspectorate
Links: Report | Care Inspectorate press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-May
The Scottish Government published a Bill designed to ensure that the health and social care systems worked together effectively to improve the provision of community care – by reducing unnecessary delays that kept older people in hospital longer than needed, and increasing the amount of care that could be provided at home.
Source: Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Scottish Government press release | PRTC press release
Date: 2013-May
A report compared early years and childhood experiences in Scotland and England. It considered social and material circumstances; dysfunctional households; maternal and child health; and parenting. Little evidence was found of differences that could explain the relatively poor health status of people in Scotland.
Source: Martin Taulbut and David Walsh, Poverty, Parenting and Poor Health: Comparing early years experiences in Scotland, England and three city regions, Glasgow Centre for Population Health
Links: Report
Date: 2013-May
An article offered an alternative paradigm to healthcare delivery by introducing the concept of mutuality and empowerment into the existing health-wealth model (against the background of Scottish Government health policy). It examined what was meant by mutuality, public interest, and community empowerment, and introduced a model that linked them together.
Source: Brian Howieson, 'Mutuality, empowerment and the health-wealth model: the Scottish context', Health Care Analysis, Volume 21 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
An article examined the growing influence of asset-based approaches to public health, focusing on Scotland. As material inequalities had grown, the pursuit of non-material explanations for health outcomes had – paradoxically – proliferated. At one level, a greater recognition of psycho-social factors had deepened the understanding of the societal determinants of health, the links between mental and physical health, and the social nature of human need. Too often, however, psycho-social factors were abstracted from the material realities of people's lives, and functioned as an alternative to addressing questions of economic power and privilege and their relationship to the distribution of health.
Source: Lynne Friedli, '"What we ve tried, hasn t worked": the politics of assets based public health', Critical Public Health, Volume 23 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
An inspectorate report in Scotland said that most looked-after children who died from intentional self-harm had previously self-harmed or threatened to do so. It recommended a risk assessment and management plan for all looked-after children who self-harmed or threatened to self-harm.
Source: A Report into the Deaths of Looked After Children in Scotland 2009-2011, Care Inspectorate
Links: Report | Care Inspectorate press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A study examined whether the way in which deprived and affluent areas were distributed across the city of Glasgow (Scotland), compared with English cities, might adversely affect the health of Glasgow's population. It was concluded that although spatial patterning might have a small influence on neighbourhood mortality rates, it did not explain differences between Glasgow and other cities. The most significant explanatory variable was deprivation, although the relationship between deprivation and mortality rates was different in the three cities.
Source: Mark Livingston, David Walsh, Bruce Whyte, and Nick Bailey, Investigating the Impact of the Spatial Distribution of Deprivation on Health Outcomes, Glasgow Centre for Population Health
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Apr
A report by a committee of MSPs called for greater coherence between the systems intended to protect vulnerable children.
Source: Interim Report on Inquiry into Decision Making on Whether to Take Children into Care, 3rd Report 2013, SP Paper 300, Scottish Parliament Education and Culture Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined policy and practice in relation to the education of looked-after children in Scotland. There was evidence of considerable infrastructural development, both in the looked-after children sector and more widely in education services. There was also evidence of improvement in outcomes, notably in school attendance and the attainment of children in out-of-home care. Although outcomes generally still lagged behind those of children who were not looked after, those of children who were looked after while remaining in the family home remained relatively resistant to improvement.
Source: Graham Connelly and Judy Furnivall, 'Addressing low attainment of children in public care: the Scottish experience', European Journal of Social Work, Volume 16 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
A report examined the role of co-production in shifting the focus of health and social care in Scotland toward prevention and independence. Co-production recognized that people had 'assets' – such as knowledge, skills, characteristics, experience, friends, family, colleagues, and communities – that could be brought to bear to support their health and well-being.
Source: Elke Loeffler, Gerry Power, Tony Bovaird, and Frankie Hine-Hughes (eds), Co-Production of Health and Wellbeing in Scotland, Governance International
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Feb
An audit report in Scotland said that the Scottish Government and health boards needed to improve the management and scrutiny of National Health Service waiting lists to assure patients that they were being treated fairly. Key aspects of the existing systems were inadequate and insufficient information was found in patient records.
Source: Management of Patients on NHS Waiting Lists, Audit Scotland
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release | Scottish Government press release | SNP press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined whether the concept of social capital was helpful in explaining the educational under-achievement of looked-after children in Scotland.
Source: Michele McClung and Vernon Gayle, 'Social capital as a mechanism for exploring the low educational achievements of looked after children', Journal of Children's Services, Volume 8 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A report (based on a study in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) said that employers should do much more to ensure that an employee s mild illness did not escalate into long-term absence and sickness-related worklessness.
Source: Mark Weston and Julia Manning, Work as a Health Outcome in the Devolved Nations: How Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland tackle sickness-related worklessness, 2020health
Links: Report | 2020 press release
Date: 2013-Jan
An audit report said that the National Health Service in Scotland had improved how it managed prescribing in general practice during a period when it had faced considerable pressures. Spending on drugs had fallen in real terms over the previous seven years despite the volume of prescriptions rising significantly.
Source: Prescribing in General Practice in Scotland, Audit Scotland
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Jan
