Third sector attendees at this week’s Voluntary Health Scotland conference were challenged to help the sector come together as “one voice” to meaningfully influence policy, amidst calls for “tangible changes” to embed their work in Scotland’s health and care system.

Voluntary Health Scotland (VHS) hosted its conference, ‘Scotland’s vital health sector’, in Edinburgh this year – focused on recognising the value of the third sector and translating that value into support from Scotland’s leaders.

Ensuring the third sector’s role in reducing health inequalities is not only understood by government but can be continued and expanded through funding is an important message to share, the conference heard.

Key to this, VHS Chief Executive Tejesh Mistry told attendees, is understanding that the effects of years of austerity and poverty, above all, damage health.

While this too calls back to last year’s conference where then-health secretary Michael Matheson said economic policy and austerity are “quite literally killing people”, Mr Mistry urged politicians to move beyond words and “get behind the work we do”:

“What we need is political will.

“We’re looking for an understanding that the third sector is a huge part of the system in delivering health and addressing health inequalities across Scotland.

“We need to protect that and we need our politicians to recognise and support that. That’s part of the message I gave to the Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray and the Minister for Social Care and Sport Maree Todd.

“As part of today, we’re going to extend that conversation and close the loop to take back the voices from the audience today to share the messages.”

Across the day, speakers and attendees alike shared the importance of partnership working, amplifying areas of good practice and putting people first both in policy and practice.

Jane-Claire Judson Chief Executive of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland who chaired the event said she sees a lot of people suffering from preventable conditions as a result of health inequalities:

“One of the things that I’m really passionate about is a healthy society and a health-building society.

“Often in the voluntary sector we deal with the really hard end of things, but we want to stop things from happening early and make sure people are getting the best out of their health and the best potential out of their life.”

She said that amidst a “really tough environment”, Voluntary Health Scotland (VHS) is key to raising the profile of the third sector.

Mr Mistry told attendees that he welcomes the pressure to deliver the change needed for the sector:

“We need to bring a bit of that challenge and pressure to the sector, and ask the right questions. I feel quite driven and motivated, because of the importance of this event at this point in time for our sector.

“Building on last year’s theme of creating health is crucial to the narrative of the work we do and moving forward.

“We are day-to-day doing our best to get it right for everyone and it’s really important that we take moments to celebrate that and the achievements we have made.”

However, Mr Mistry added that “a different type of conversation” and asking challenging questions of the sector itself is also needed.

He said advocating for the sector has never been more important:

“I challenge you all to think: what can you do? Which of your local politicians can you contact? And of course, we must keep celebrating the work that we do.

“There’s nothing to fear from doing the right thing and that’s the message our politicians need to hear, too.”

He added that it is not just about a voice to influence policy, it is also about advocating for organisations across the voluntary health sector, the people and the work that they do.

Creating opportunity from challenge

Professor Linda Bauld, the Scottish government’s Chief Social Policy Adviser and a public health researcher, shared Mr Mistry’s sentiment that “out of challenge often comes opportunity” and emphasised the importance of translating evidence into policy and practice.

Professor Bauld added:

“The UK is actually an outlier in terms of the lack of progress we’ve made in recovering from the pandemic. But we can change because we’ve done it before.

“In my view one of the most important workstreams within the government’s care and wellbeing portfolio is the community-led health and wellbeing workstream.

“Things we don’t need? Defining the problem endlessly, we’ve done that many times.”

Attendees called for a focus on promoting ‘good health’ and questioning the negative and sometimes even stigmatising language used across health and social care.

The panel of speakers recognised the importance of the “bringing the voices of service users to the table” and shifting the narrative around health inequalities.

Professor Bauld said that the voluntary sector must “speak with one voice” to be more successful in influencing politicians and bringing about change:

“I’ve observed lots of squabbling and when groups are divided, they’re not going to achieve change. So, it’s building that coalition and being coordinated.”

She added that amplifying that voice more widely is vital too, saying that politicians rarely change unless the public demand is there.

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