Public Health Annual Report 2024-2025
Argyll and Bute Council · 19 November 2025
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 19 November 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Integration Joint Board Date of Meeting: 19th November 2025 Title of Report: Public Health Annual Report 2024-2025 Presented by: Alison McGrory, Associate Director of Public Health The IJB/Committee/Group is asked to: ▪ Note the report, “Health and Wellbeing in Argyll and Bute” covering Public Health activity for the year 2024 to 2025 - Argyll and Bute Public Health Annual Report 2024/25. ▪ Note that the strategic approach to prevention in Argyll and Bute aligns with the reviewed and long-term focus on prevention described in Scotland’s Population Health Framework ▪ Continue to endorse the role of the IJB in providing leadership to prevent health and social care problems from arising. 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This paper outlines public health activity in Argyll and Bute to prevent ill-health and improve health and wellbeing outcomes for the population. The detail of the paper covers the Public Health Team Annual Report for 2024-2025. The report can be accessed here - Argyll and Bute Public Health Annual Report 2024/25. The paper also outlines the work of Scotland’s new Population Health Framework. 2. INTRODUCTION The Public Health Team in Argyll and Bute includes Health Improvement, Health Intelligence and the Alcohol and Drug Partnership support team. A work plan sets out the work of the team and this is reported at the end of each year. The workplan is guided by national and local priorities and strategic drivers. This includes: - Working with others to form partnerships to work on specific issues. - Working with communities to understand what is important to them and use this information to inform the work we do. - Responding to national policy requirements from the Government and developing local plans for Argyll and Bute. - Investigating data and intelligence to understand health issues - Targeting our efforts at those most in need to reduce inequalities between the worst off and best off in our communities.
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2 - Considering and work on the underpinning causes of good health - the social determinants of health - such as income, social support, good employment, access to the outdoors and being physically active, and eating well. As part of the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, the team focus not just on what is happening in people’s lives, but why, because we know that health is shaped by far more than access to services or lifestyle choices. The interplay between these wider, social determinants of health, prevention and health outcomes is the focus of significant discussion in Scotland now and it has been understood for some time that more could be done to prevent health problems from arising. The Christie Commission of 2011 estimated that 40% of public sector spending is on problems that could be avoided given earlier intervention. Such prevention can take place at three levels (Figure 1) and a focus on primary prevention means tackling the social and commercial determinants of health, including income, housing, education, employment and the influence of industries that profit from poor health. Figure 1: Prevention levels, Scotland's Population Health Framework (2025) 3. DETAIL OF REPORT 3.1 Public Health Team Annual report for 2024-2025 The full report provides detail on the range of activity delivered. Highlights of this work include: • Continuing work on Living Well. Including refocusing activity over the past two years on two key workstreams of Community Rehabilitation and Communities Working Together. • Supporting skills for collaborative leadership - the Communities Working Together partnership has focused on empowering people living and working within Argyll and Bute in methods of working with communities and gaining skills for collaborative leadership. This work is funded by NHS Charities Together and Macmillan Cancer Support. • Continuing to support the commissioning of the Community Link Worker service across Argyll and Bute. The team were successful in attracting additional external funding for this project and the service has expanded, with an additional 2.0 WTE link workers and 21 GP practices now receiving the service. Improvements in wellbeing and feedback from people using the service continue to be positive.
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3 • Delivering and leading on MAP of Health Behaviour Change training, increasing the number of trainers and delivering this person-centred training Highland and Argyll and Bute wide. This training focuses on understanding the context behind a person’s behaviour and how to support with positive changes. It links strongly to the social determinants of health. • Reporting on Argyll and Bute HSCP Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming report. • Smoke-free team continue to deliver high quality stop smoking support across Argyll and Bute. • Smoke-free P7 education programme - a drama presented to primary 7s across Argyll and Bute, this year with the addition of vaping information. • Health Drama - You Are Not Alone - a drama presented to S2/3 about issues faced by young people. This year it was delivered to 8 secondary schools. • Planet Youth - a framework on improving young people’s health, wellbeing and relationships by working with parents, carers, schools, communities and organisations. • Sexual health improvement - development of a new sexual health improvement plan for Argyll and Bute, a new free condoms by post service and the commissioning of the Speakeasy training programme which is a preventative community education programme to help parents tackle issues around children growing up. • Screening inequalities - grants issued to 5 community groups to increase knowledge of screening and identify barriers to screening with underserved groups. • Commissioning of range of suicide prevention training course in accordance with suicide prevention action plan • Contracting of Heartstart - basic emergency life support training across Argyll and Bute. • Green health - rolling out RSPB nature prescriptions to raise awareness and knowledge about how engagement with greenspace and nature can improve health and wellbeing. • Data gathering and evaluation for the Argyll and Bute island strategy and Joint strategic Needs Assessment. • Wide range of alcohol and drug related work which are reported separately in the Argyll and Bute ADP strategy. 3.2 Scotland’s Population Health Framework Improvements in life expectancy across Scotland are stalling, and life expectancy is decreasing for some of the most vulnerable groups in Society. The Scottish Government and COSLA published the Population Health Framework in June 2025, with the aim of improving Scotland’s health and reducing inequalities over the next 10 years. The Framework’s targets are to improve Scottish life expectancy whilst reducing the life expectancy gap by 2035. The framework recognises that health is primarily impacted by what happens outside of the health and care system - the social determinants of health highlighted earlier in this report. The Framework sets out how national and local government will work with public sector partners,
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4 community organisations and business to tackle these root causes of ill health. The Framework focuses on ‘primary prevention’ also described earlier in this report - action that is designed to stop health and social care problems from developing in the first place. This is highlighted as an essential task due to the trends of an increased burden of disease, ageing population, rising service demand and reducing public sector finances. It's vital to note that “prevention is one of the most cost-effective interventions the NHS and wider system can make in relation to improving population health and reducing inequalities…. prevention is 3-4 times more cost-effective than investing in treatment”. The Framework’s vision, initial priorities and drivers of health which will guide this work are presented below. Figure 2: Scotland's Population Health Framework 2025-2035 4. RELEVANT DATA AND INDICATORS Full details of the outputs of Public Health activity is published in the report. 5. CONTRIBUTION TO STRATEGIC PRIORITIES The work of the Public Health Team is linked to: Argyll and Bute HSCP Joint Strategic Plan 2022-2025 priorities • Prevention, early intervention and enablement
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5 • Living well and active citizenship • Community coproduction It is also linked to all 6 of the Argyll and Bute HSCP Joint Strategic Plan 2026-2031 draft priorities: • Preventative and Community-Based Care • Integrated and Person-Centred Care • Financial and System Sustainability • Workforce • Access to Care and Tackling Health Inequalities • Digital Transformation 6. GOVERNANCE IMPLICATIONS Guidance: Please ensure that you have followed the appropriate governance structure taking consideration of the following areas prior to submitting your paper. 6.1 Financial Impact The Public Health Team is resourced from core HSCP funds and in-year Scottish Government allocations to the sum of approximately £2.5 million. This paper is not asking for additional investment in Public Health. However, local and national conversations are clear in that a focus on primary prevention and population health is now essential to ensure financial sustainability. 6.2 Staff Governance/Culture No issues in this paper. 6.3 Clinical & Care Governance No issues in this paper 7. PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY No issues in this paper. The Associate Director of Public Health works closely with the other professional advisors, in particular the Associate Director for Allied Health Professions and NHS Highland Director of Public Health. 8. EQUALITY & DIVERSITY IMPLICATIONS a. Fairer Scotland Duty b. Islands Act c. Children and Young People d. Climate Change No issues in this paper. Equality and diversity are both key principles of Public Health work. As such, the work of the team is designed to reduce inequalities as much as possible and ensure those most in need will benefit the most. This report provides further details of this, including the work reporting on HSCP Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming. The team also support the wider HSCP with Equality Impact Assessments including the new Integrated Impact
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6 Assessment process which includes Children’s Rights and Wellbeing considerations under the United Convention for the Rights of the Child. 9. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION PRINCIPLES COMPLIANCE No issues in this paper. 10. RISK ASSESSMENT Both this report and Scotland’s Population Health Framework identify risks to the sustainability of health and social care service from rising demand. 11. PUBLIC & USER INVOLVEMENT & ENGAGEMENT Community engagement is a core principle of Public Health. As such, all programmes of work include relevant engagement and strive to coproduce solutions and interventions where possible. The team also support the wider HSCP with engagement in a professional advisory capacity. 12. RECOMMENDATIONS The current trend of increasing demand on health and social care and decreasing stability of Health and Social Care Partnerships is clear. This has implications for the sustainability of services and also health and wellbeing of our population in Argyll and Bute. It is vital that as an organise we embrace system change through ensuring a focus on enabling the conditions that allow people to live well. This means tackling the social and determinants of health and working with local and national partners to reduce inequalities and improve wellbeing. 13. DIRECTIONS Directions required to Council, NHS Board or both. Directions to: tick No Directions required x Argyll & Bute Council NHS Highland Health Board Argyll & Bute Council and NHS Highland Health Board REPORT AUTHOR AND CONTACT Author Name Alison McGrory, Associate Director of Public Health Email alison.mcgrory@nhs.scot This paper has previously been reviewed in draft format at: Meeting Reviewed (tick) Date Finance & Policy Committee e.g. Audit & Risk Committee Clinical & Care Governance Committee Strategic Planning Group Argyll & Bute Council NHS Highland Board Community Planning Partnership Other