Good Food Nation Plan development – understanding local authority and health board processes: report

Appendix 3: Formal Interview Schedule

NHS Territorial Health Boards /Local Authorities – Good Food Nation Plan Development

Method: Microsoft Teams (group interview) Duration: Up to 60 minutes Participants: NHS Territorial Health Board GFN/Local Authority Leads

1. Welcome and introductions (5 minutes)

• Brief welcome and purpose of the session
• Reminder of consent, confidentiality, and recording
• Participant introductions:
• Name
• Health Board/Local Authority
• Role in relation to Good Food Nation planning

2. Health Board/Local Authority role and remit in GFN planning (5 minutes)

Core questions

• How do you think your Health Board/Local Authority will develop its own GFN Plan?
• Where does GFN sit in relation to other statutory duties or plans you are responsible for?

Probes

• Is GFN being viewed more as an extension of existing food-related work?
• Where does ownership currently sit in practice, even if this is still evolving?

3. Governance and decision-making in practice (10 minutes) – Priority

Core questions

• In practice, how do strategic decisions get made within your Health Board/Local Authority for cross-cutting plans like GFN?
• How long would it take to get the sign off?
• What level of senior sponsorship or oversight do you think will be necessary for the GFN plan to progress?

Probes

• What tends to slow decision-making in similar statutory planning exercises?
• Are there any governance pinch points you are anticipating?

4. Working with Health Boards and partnerships (5 minutes)

Core questions

• Will you be working in a partnership?
• How will this affect your implementation?

Probes

• Are there existing partnership structures that GFN could sensibly use?
• What would make collaboration easier or more difficult?

5. From plan to action: implementation and monitoring (5 minutes)

Core questions

• How confident are you that GFN priorities can be translated into delivery at local level?
• What are the key enablers for implementation?

Probes

• How will you ensure there is good understanding of the legislative duty to have regard to the Plan across your organisation?
• What would help ensure it leads to meaningful change in practice?

6. What support would make the biggest difference? (15 minutes) - Priority

Core questions

• Thinking practically, what would make the biggest difference to your organisation in delivering a meaningful GFN plan?
• What is the one thing Scottish Government could do that would most enable Health Boards/Local Authorities to access said support effectively?

Probes

• Clarifying expectations vs flexibility
• Support with partnership working
• Evidence, data or exemplars
• Senior-level engagement or levers

7. Final reflections (5 minutes)

• Is there anything important about Local Authorities/Health Boards’ role in GFN planning that we haven’t covered?
• Is there anything we have missed that you feel is critical?