200+ organisations call for urgent action on health and social care
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 27th August
More than 200 organisations, including SCDC, have signed an open letter urging the First Minister to take immediate steps to address the health and social care crisis in Scotland.
Led by The Alliance and the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland, the statement sets out the pressure being faced by the sector, with half of Alliance members reporting on their insecure financial position.
The letter calls on the Scottish Government to make an immediate cash injection part of the upcoming Spending Review, and to set out a medium-term fully-funded recovery plan following decades of underinvestment.
Multi-year funding for organisations is critical, as well as proper involvement in planning and decision-making based on preventative and early intervention approaches.
This letter comes at a time when all parts of the third and community sectors are facing unprecedented demand combined with cuts in funding, leaving them unable to carry out their vital work.
Recent research has also found that outcomes related to health inequalities are stagnant, or getting worse, with healthy life expectancy having now fallen to a near ten-year low. The long-term impact of these inequalities means the pressure facing organisations is only likely to increase, meaning swift action is needed now.
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