Scotland's Population Health Framework

Initial Framework Priorities (2025-2027)

To contribute to our aim of improving life expectancy and reducing inequalities we have identified two initial evidence-based priorities:

Priority 1: Embedding Prevention in our Systems

Develop mechanisms that prioritise addressing inequalities and improving prevention within planning, delivery, budgets and accountability.

The long-term sustainability of our health, social care and wider public services depends on a decisive shift towards prevention, particularly primary prevention, to improve outcomes. We know we need to be deliberate about how we achieve this if we are to see a genuine change.

Critical to this shift is improved partnership working locally to create effective systems that enable change. To achieve this, we will build upon our established place-based working approaches, in particular the Place Principle. Implementation of the principle requires a more integrated, collaborative and participative approach to decisions about services, land and buildings, across all sectors within a place. Such an approach enables better outcomes for everyone and increased opportunities for people and communities to shape their own lives.

Our approach will include working together to:

• improve prioritisation of prevention and addressing inequalities in planning
• develop new resource allocation tools that give stronger weighting to prevention, with an initial focus on health and social care budgets
• develop stronger governance models for health and social care reform aligned with the wider reform of the National Performance Framework
• exemplify the behaviours reflecting the core of the Place Principle, working and planning together with partners and local communities to improve the lives of people and create better places

Priority 2: Improving Healthy Weight

Develop a whole system approach to improve food environments; ensure a healthy, balanced diet is accessible and affordable to all; and improve population levels of healthy weight.

Two thirds (67%) of all adults in Scotland are living outside of healthy weight parameters. A key part of improving Scotland’s population health is a refreshed whole system approach to preventing obesity.

Evidence on the actions required to improve population levels of healthy weight indicate a whole system package of prevention and treatment measures is necessary.

Our response will include:

• legislation to improve the food retail environment
• action by business to reformulate foods to reduce levels of fat, sugar and salt
• action by major retailers to improve the healthiness of the typical basket
• action across local government and the education sector to support the provision of healthy food in early years and school settings
• action to support whole system approaches at all levels to improving healthy weight across all drivers of the Framework

These actions will be co-developed at both a national and local level in order to drive the whole system response required; and will take into account Good Food Nation Outcomes^[12] to ensure joined-up policy-making and delivery.