Population Health Framework Programme Board minutes: November 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Professor Linda Bauld, Scottish Government, co-chair 
• Richard Foggo, Scottish Government, co-chair
• Alison Cox, NCD Alliance 
• Angela Scott, Chief Executive, Aberdeen City Council and SOLACE
• Caroline Cameron, North Ayrshire HSCP CO and Chief Officer Group
• Eddie Follan, CoSLA 
• Geoff Ogle, Food Standards Scotland
• Jennifer Champion, NHS Forth Valley and Directors of Public Health Group
• Paul Johnston, Public Health Scotland and NHS Board Chief Executive Group
• Susan Paxton, Scottish Community Development Centre
• Susan Webb, Scottish Directors of Public Health (SDsPH)
• Tejesh Mistry, Voluntary Health Scotland

Apologies: 

• Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer, Scottish Government

Items and actions

Welcome and apologies – Linda Bauld

Linda Bauld provided an outline of the meeting and the topics that would be discussed.
As it was the first meeting of the Population Health Framework (PHF) Programme Board, formal introductions were made by those in attendance.
Introduction to Population Health Framework – Linda Bauld
Comments invited from members on the Terms of Reference.
Membership queries: consider the inclusion of Police Scotland and Fire Service in addition to the Board’s relationship with the CPI Board.
Governance: looking at standing membership for the Board with wider involvement as and when appropriate in addition to a review when considered to be needed.
Positioning PHF as cross-cutting preventative approach with a strategic role for the Board.
Business sector representative to be added; sourcing of this sector is currently underway.
Board members to keep their stakeholder groups informed of progress and updates.
The Board agreed the Terms of Reference.
Actions:

• Secretariat to draft short diagram / paper mapping links between PHF Board and wider governance landscape.
• All Board members to consider their wider roles in addition to opportunities to feed into PHF work.
   

Strategic Vision and Programme Progress – Richard Foggo and Eddie Follan

Presentation on the PHF strategic vision and progress with a question and answer session.
Examples of progress: North Ayrshire Prevention-Focused Systems; Aberdeen City Council
There was a discussion on the new Scottish Approach to Change and its potential role in relation to the PHF work.
Action: Secretariat to share the presentation slides with members.
 

Whole System Approach to Evidence: PHF Analytical Framework – Paul Johnstone and Katherine Myant

Overview provided of the Analytical Framework paper for monitoring progress with the PHF.
It was noted that there was a need to strengthen the 'understanding impact' section; learn from Board expertise.
One member mentioned the potential linkage with WHO Global Monitoring Framework.
Other challenges noted: causality, cumulative impact, embedding health in all policies.
It was noted that the proposed approach would adopt a simple, high-level framework with approximately 6 key measures, including life expectancy.
The issue of local evaluation capacity challenges was mentioned; CoSLA to review existing resources.
Push for common tools and outcomes across Scotland; explore the use of Community Wealth Building Indicators.
Drive a 'Once for Scotland' approach; PHS to identify potential common themes for this.
Need for pace, baselining, and linking to monitoring with the social inequality and child poverty agendas.
Track opposition trends and positions; academic community support highlighted as important.
The Board agreed to the overall approach to monitoring and evaluation of the PHF as set out in the paper.
Actions:

• To consider local-level monitoring and evaluation in future PHF structures.
• To review the evaluation work in local organisations.

 

 

Shared Priorities and Focus for the Board 

Third sector concerns: funding, sustainability, and the need for open conversations over resourcing.
Reassurance needed amid diminishing resources; circulate Communities Workstream outputs, including the Legacy Paper.
Conflicts of interest and advocacy: business influence; NCD Alliance discussions.
Re-centering the prevention and asset-based approaches.
Renew public engagement and public health communications post-pandemic; clarify the roles and expectations of local communities with a view to supporting increased resilience.
Immediate considerations: community engagement, workforce interventions, learning from outside Scotland.
Proposal for academic hub to evaluate solutions and focus resources; volunteers sought.
Actions:

• TM and SP to meet on Communities Workstream activity and report back.
• Spotlight sessions at future board meetings are open to board members who may wish to present on specific topics. Board members to advise on session topic and potential meeting to be presented at. 

At the meeting the following key areas were highlighted for a future spotlight: the role of the voluntary sector and managing expectations and sharing experience of the communities workstream of the Place and Wellbeing Programme.

Any Other Business

No further business; future dates to be circulated.
Action: programme board secretariat to provide provisional 2026 dates for the Board.