A group of leading national organisations has launched a new online consultation exploring the funding and current partnership relationships between public health, and the community and third sector in Scotland.

The group is made up of:

Scottish Communities for Health and Wellbeing (SCHW)
Community Health Exchange (CHEX)
Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC)
the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)

Their joint initiative seeks to understand how this relationship may have changed over the past 3 years, particularly in the context of community-led approaches to health improvement. Insights gathered through this consultation will help identify shared experiences across the sector, and inform future steps to strengthen collaboration and maximise the impact of community organisations on public health outcomes. In short, responses will be used to explore what needs to change so that community health organisations can best deliver health improvement impact in their communities.

Community Health

According to CHEX: “Community-led health is a way for people in a community to take joint action to improve things for their community, leading to improved health and wellbeing.”

Throughout the consultation, the term “public health partners” is used to refer to a broad range of stakeholders, including:

NHS Boards
Health Improvement Teams
primary care professionals (such as GPs, community pharmacies, and Community Mental Health Teams)
Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) agencies

Third sector groups and organisations are encouraged to take part in the survey, which can be completed anonymously. However, those interested in continuing the conversation around the role of the community sector in public health are invited to share their contact details to participate in future discussions.

Who Should Respond?

The consultation is open to any community or third sector group or organisation which is currently, or has previously been, funded by or worked in partnership with public health bodies. This includes organisations that may not formally identify as community-led health organisations, but whose work aligns with holistic, preventative approaches to health and wellbeing.

More information about the concept of community-led health is available via the CHEX website (linked for your convenience).

How to Complete the Survey

To submit your response, or for further information, please visit the online survey page. The survey should take approximately 5 – 10 minutes to complete.