Inequality and prevention will be health committee priorities

Holyrood’s Health and Sport Committee has promised to test all legislation against whether it improves health inequalities or focuses on prevention.

The cross-party group of MSPs has produced a plan for the whole parliamentary session and beyond, which include four ‘strategic priorities’ for its role in scrutinising government and the health service.

MSPs will focus on the impact of health inequalities on people in Scotland, the extent to which it has a prevention focus, long term cost effectiveness and efficiency and the implications of the UK’s EU exit, the report said.

The long-term strategy will “direct focus” on outcomes and enable a long-term view as the health sector faces “fundamental changes”, it added.

Committee convener, Labour’s Neil Findlay, said it was the first time any parliamentary committee had set out a long-term strategic vision.

“Our vision puts a marker in the sand to say that health inequalities are so fundamental that they have to be a key part of all of our work. Similarly prevention is vital to ensuring the health sector can direct their resource to those who need it the most.

The vision statement looks to a timescale covering up to the next 15 years, which would cover this government the time in office and the following two parliaments.