Improving public health in Scotland: new learning hub

Public Health Scotland (PHS) has today launched a new online public health learning hub to support those working in our public services.

The hub will allow those working in local government, NHS, third sector and community-based organisations to learn more about factors that influence health. It will also provide guidance on how to embed health and wellbeing into professional roles to ultimately improve population health and reduce health inequalities.

Claire Sweeney, Director of Place and Wellbeing at PHS, said:

“Our aspiration is for a public health system in Scotland that is ambitious, and is supported by a diverse range of people who can all actively play their part in improving the health and wellbeing of more people in Scotland.

“We want to see healthy life expectancy improve, with the greatest improvements needed in communities with the worst outcomes. We can tackle this if more people understand public health and their role in it.

“Anyone supporting the ambition of public health in Scotland can make use the learning hub”.

Fiona Macdonald, Organisational Lead – Public Health Workforce Development at PHS, said:

“Everyone has a role and contribution to make to improving health in Scotland. The Introduction to Public Health Learning Hub can support people with various levels of awareness, knowledge, experience and skills to understand the importance of strong partnerships and working with range of sectors to help communities to thrive”.

The new hub is an evidence-informed resource with examples of real-life practice to engage learners, including talking heads, animations and reflective activities.

From January 2022, PHS will be hosting a series of live online learning sessions to focus on helping people to consider what public health means for them in their job role. These learning events will be promoted on PHS social media channels and on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) nearer the time.

View the Introduction to Public Health Learning Hub.