RCN comment on Audit Scotland health inequalities report

Published: 14 December 2012

A report published today (13 December) by Audit Scotland shows that health inequalities remain a ‘significant and long-standing problem’ with deprivation and difficulty in accessing services being major contributing factors.

Commenting on the report, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland Director Theresa Fyffe said:

“Everyday healthcare professionals see people in Scotland with health problems which prevent them living the life they want to lead. Healthcare professionals witness this human cost at first-hand as they work to help people in their care access the services they need.

“We can only really begin to tackle health inequalities effectively when we get the appropriate services close to the local communities that need them most. To achieve this we need a simplified planning process so everyone involved in health and social care services is clear about their role in reducing health inequalities. Then we can look again at how healthcare professionals, such as health visitors, practice nurses and other community nurses, use their skills to make services more accessible for more people.”

ENDS

For further information or to arrange an interview, please call 0131 662 6173 or the out-of-hours press officer on 07962 801005.

Notes to editors

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the world’s largest professional organisation and trade union for nursing staff, with members in the NHS, independent and voluntary sectors. RCN Scotland promotes patient and nursing interests by campaigning on issues that affect our members, shaping national health policies, representing members on practice and employment issues and providing members with learning and development opportunities.  With around 39,000 members in Scotland, we are the voice of nursing.

• The Audit Scotland report published today (13 December) is entitled Health Inequalities in Scotland.