Scotland's Population Health Framework: supporting sector summaries - the business sector

Overview

To support the implementation of the Population Health Framework, a suite of sector summaries has been developed with key partners. These summaries highlight the vital role that key sectors play in creating good health, recognising that meaningful progress towards our aim can only be achieved through shared responsibility and collaboration.

These summaries cover local government, the NHS, the community and voluntary sector and the business sector. Each reflects the sector’s contributions to realising our aim to improve life expectancy and tackle health inequalities through the delivery of the priorities and actions set out in the Framework.

The following sector summary focuses on the Business Sector reflecting its unique strengths, perspectives, and levers for change. The business sector influences health through employment, income and local economies, the goods and services it produces, with businesses also having a role in supporting inclusive growth and contributing to the building blocks of health.

Together these sector summaries aim to support dialogue, collaborative working and coordinated action ensuring that all parts of the system are enabled to contribute fully to the delivery of the Population Health Framework.

The Business Sector can support a shift to a more prevention focused system by contributing to improved population health in key ways:

Social and Economic Factors - Supporting population health and generating wealth and income by providing good jobs and impactful investment.

Places and Communities - Local partners with impacts on economy and environment and an advocate for local communities.

Enabling Health Living - Producers and retailers of goods and services that can impact on consumers' health and wellbeing.

Equitable Health and Care - Key drivers of life science, new health technologies and treatments and enablers of access to healthcare.

Working Together to Improve People’s Health

A healthier Scotland is a more productive and prosperous one. Scotland has a diverse business community across a wide range of sectors and locations, with different sizes and models of business. Whether large organisations or microbusinesses, businesses can have a pivotal role in the health and wellbeing of the people they employ, their customers and their communities.

High quality, purposeful work contributes to healthy life expectancy^[1] and good health supports an active labour market. Unfortunately, long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for people not working.^[2] Many businesses are already taking actions that support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of their employees, which helps to reduce absence rates as well as increase staff engagement, retention and resilience. A healthy population provides a vibrant talent pool, resilient customer base and is good for growth.

However, businesses are more than employers and some do not employ staff at all. Businesses are innovative providers of products and services; critical enablers of access to healthcare and treatment; and impactful participants in communities – making connections and working in partnership to support positive health outcomes.

The Role of Business

As employers

Work is a key contributor to health and wellbeing. Recognising that all employers operate in unique contexts, with differing access to resources, actions that can support good physical and mental health include:

• inclusive recruitment and retention – supporting access and progression in work, including reasonable adjustments and health practices, which can attract and retain talent, foster inclusion and support staff wellbeing
• flexible working polices – tailored to the needs of the business and staff. Provisions such as flexible shift patterns, compressed hours and term time contracts can have positive effects on employee wellbeing, particularly for those with caring responsibilities, and reduce stress
• living hours - providing secure contracts and a guaranteed minimum set of hours so staff have certainty on their income floor to help with budgeting and support better mental health
• financial wellbeing for staff - signposting to local charities for financial, housing and welfare support; suitable workplace pensions; individual wellbeing budgets; employee assistance programmes; counselling; and mental health days
• training for staff, including managers – such as becoming mental health first aiders – which can reduce stigma in seeking help and foster a supportive working environment
• encouraging physical activity – promoting active (walking, wheeling) meetings; Cycle to Work scheme; in-house gym and sports facilities; subsidised gym memberships
• promoting healthier eating through workplace meal options, particularly where employees are required to perform duties on physical sites
• promoting information and resources on physical and mental health – sharing working examples of good practice and raising awareness of success stories and positive initiatives

As providers of products and services

In designing, developing, delivering and marketing products or services, businesses can have an influential role through:

• offering healthier alternatives and, where appropriate, providing labelling and health information to inform and empower consumers to take healthier decisions
• innovating in medical technology and vaccine development – for example through Scotland’s life sciences industry and supply chains – to improve diagnoses, treatments and care
• providing products and services to the health & care system and the personal health & wellbeing market

As key community anchors

Businesses are active in their communities and can support local initiatives through:

• leading on local health initiatives, sponsoring wellbeing events and offering spaces for regional and local health groups
• supporting community initiatives such as on active living and partnering with local charities and public health bodies to deliver community-led schemes

Supporting Businesses to Play Their Part

The Scottish Government, local government and the NHS can support businesses by:

Information and services

• Providing and signposting to services and resources on mental health, wellbeing and health promotion that business can easily use.
• Tailoring healthcare systems and services to local needs, which supports a healthy workforce and enable businesses to recruit and grow locally.
• Taking a targeted approach for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and encouraging larger organisations to support and work with smaller organisations, for example on health pilot schemes or by sharing facilities.
• Learning from other countries and facilitating innovative work between business and other parts of the system to enable the necessary conditions to improve people’s health.

Engagement

• Engaging with local anchor organisations to shape actions that influence health outcomes.
• Increasing engagement and partnership working with businesses, including exploring ways of supporting healthcare and health promotion in workplaces.
• Engaging business in the design and delivery of services – for example ways that health service provision could flex around working hours; or whether an assessment of regional health challenges would help guide the actions and investment decisions of businesses located there to support the health of their workers.
• Engaging with businesses on incentives to promote preventative healthcare practices like occupational health referrals, particularly in sectors with higher risks of health deterioration.

Unlocking this Potential

The Population Health Framework is a ten-year, cross-sector approach to improving health and wellbeing in Scotland. During its lifetime the Framework will set out priorities and tangible actions to improve health and reduce health inequalities. The actions within this will help to support Scotland to have a healthy population, where everyone can actively participate in society and work, engage in social activities and contribute meaningfully to their communities. Many of the actions will require ongoing, collaborative working with the business sector if they are to be delivered successfully.