What it takes to make community-led action happen
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 4th March 2026
Last week, more than 70 people came together to explore the role community organisations play in addressing Scotland's health inequalities crisis.
The CHEX Conference 2026 focused on the urgent need to move beyond ambition and into reality. Conference chair, Brendan Rooney, spoke passionately about the reality we face: premature deaths, division and a corrosion of society. "We need to call it out and speak about it,” he said.
Evidencing this challenge, we heard from Dr David Walsh, author and academic, who outlined the stark reality of health inequalities in Scotland. These inequalities are a political choice and cause stark and avoidable differences in people’s health and life expectancy, leading to Scotland being a country where many people die younger than they should.
A recurrent theme was the role of the implementation gap – we know what needs to be done, and the policy environment has never been so supportive. Yet, we don't see real change at the urgency and scale required.
This urgency was a key theme raised by our keynote listeners, who reflected on what they heard from our delegates and presenters during our world cafes and workshops. A key focus was the need to address the structural barriers that community organisations cannot shift themselves.
It was heartening to learn about some of the remarkable and innovative solutions being delivered by community-led health organisations from across the country. As Brendan concluded: “Communities are where we see those thoughtful committed citizens who can change the world.”
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