Better Places – why we need them and how we will get them
First published on 06 September 2024
- Place
Public Health Scotland (PHS) and the Scottish Directors of Public Health have published a consensus statement – Better Places. This document outlines how those operating in the public, private, third voluntary and community sectors can adopt place-based approaches, which will support improvements in health for local people.
The quality of our places and communities across Scotland varies greatly and contributes to rising levels of poor health and widening health inequalities. People living in the poorest areas remain much more likely to experience poor-quality buildings and spaces and are at increased risks from climate-related threats. These places also have more alcohol and tobacco outlets, bookmakers and takeaways, so there is greater exposure to health-harming commodities. The financial pressures currently faced by organisations offering support services brings further urgency. If we do nothing, these differences will remain and will probably widen.
Scotland has some of the strongest legislation and policy around supporting, engaging and developing communities and places, but its implementation and roll-out has been only partially successful. Stronger action is needed to take advantage of this supportive policy and legislative environment in Scotland. To achieve this, we need to work in partnership to focus on three areas:
• Strengthening the leadership and governance to ensure policy and legislation have maximum impact on health and inequality
• Putting in place a robust data and intelligence system that allows us to assess, learn and track over time the quality of local places and communities
• Taking action to improve each of the components of place that impact health and putting in place a national learning system to collect and share the learning.
Matt Lowther, Head of Place, Environment and Health Harms at Public Health Scotland, said:
“A broad range of national and local plans and policies impact the quality of our places and ultimately our health. Examples include local housing strategies, local development plans, open space strategies, transport plans, local economic strategies, Local Outcome Improvement Plans (LOIPs) and local place plans. They need to be assessed at the formation stage for their potential impact on health and inequality and adjusted, so that they can best serve the people they’re designed to support.”