ALLIANCE Community of Practice – Right to Health

The ALLIANCE is establishing a Community of Practice to address concerns around the right to health in Scotland.

The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is a fundamental right of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or any other status. However, in Scotland high levels of health inequality persist.

There is strong evidence that the wider social and commercial context in Scotland results in inequity of access to health services and good health in general. This is particularly true for groups that are marginalised, including historical marginalisation, and those who continue to experience intersecting inequality. The right to health goes beyond access to health services, to address the social determinants of health like housing, employment, environment, equality, and community.   

Discussions, research and engagement around human rights has been core to the ALLIANCE’s aims and values, and in 2023 the ALLIANCE engaged with stakeholders and partners as a part of Black History Month. This engagement resulted in rich discussions around intersectional health inequalities, exploring how these affect human rights generally, but also in terms of health and wellbeing outcomes for marginalised groups, and the need for action and attention in this area.  

The ALLIANCE is committed to continuing these conversations and developing and supporting initiatives to ensure that people accessing health and social care support and services have a strong voice and enjoy their right to live well.  The ALLIANCE plans to do this through a Community of Practice model to bring people together for a shared purpose. This helps strengthen the capacity of people and communities and builds a collective approach to common goals.   

Our hope is to co-create a Community of Practice – Right to Health with the aim to create a culture that is committed to ensuring that people are at the centre of health and social care service design, free from discrimination and enjoy their right to live well. 

For more information or to get involved in the Community of Practice, please contact us at membership@alliance-scotland.org.uk

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