The Government's Healthier strategic objective is to help people to sustain and improve their health, especially in disadvantaged communities, ensuring better, local and faster access to health care.
People living in Scotland should enjoy the best physical and mental health they can, free from preventable illness and disability. Good health and wellbeing is also vital in delivering our Purpose. We want to make Scotland healthier by tackling health inequalities and supporting healthier lifestyles and choices, complemented by early interventions and anticipatory, responsive services. In doing so, we will contribute to the Purpose by not only raising healthy life expectancy, but also by increasing the productivity of Scotland's workforce, reducing absenteeism, improving public sector efficiency and increasing participation in the labour market by reducing the number of people on incapacity benefit.
Our aim is to help people lead longer, healthier lives. Our approach will focus on the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and areas most at risk of poor health outcomes.
This will mean challenging the health inequalities that currently exist in Scotland, including the gap in healthy life expectancy, to improve the life chances that are needed to support better health. It also means achieving sustainable, world-leading quality in healthcare, ensuring that people are able to be in their own homes and communities when possible and appropriate, and that they have a safe and good experience of healthcare services. In response to increasing demands and expectations, Scotland's health and care services must continue to harness the most advanced technology and treatments and put these within reach of all of those who need them.
Healthier Outcomes
We aim to deliver a Healthier Scotland through all 16 national outcomes, with a focus on the following: