The first stage of engagement to help shape a new long-term direction for Falkirk’s local health and social care services has now completed, with around 800 people taking part.

Through surveys, meetings with community groups, and a series of staff sessions, Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership invited people to share their views on priorities for the next decade, as well as the values that should underpin how services are delivered.

Work is now underway to develop a draft strategic plan that will set out a shared vision for local services and identify the priorities expected to have the greatest positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

The draft will be put to public consultation before it is finalised by Falkirk’s Integration Joint Board, with a series of public and partner engagement events expected over the summer period.

Helen Russell, Strategic Planning Lead for the Partnership, explains: “From the initial feedback, we can see that improving access and navigation across health and social care services is important to a wide range of local audiences.

“People with a range of perspectives and experiences also highlighted the need to shift care into communities and closer to home, alongside the need to build transparency and trust in our local decision-making processes.

“These priorities will play a key role in shaping our new strategy and will help us take targeted action to tackle inequalities across our communities.”

In addition to views gathered, the Partnership is pulling from a range of evidence to assess future service demands and challenges.

This includes the findings of other recent consultation work and the latest Joint Strategic Needs Assessment – a detailed review of Falkirk’s population demographics and health needs produced by Public Health Scotland.

The latest analysis demonstrates the future challenges to be addressed by the strategic plan:

• Falkirk’s working age population is expected to decrease over the next decade, while the amount of people ahead over 75 is expected to increase.
• As the local population gets older, more people in Falkirk are expected to live with multiple long-term health conditions – with the five most common health conditions being coronary heart disease, diabetes, asthma, depression, and hypertension.
• 12% of people have a mental health condition, and it is estimated that depression is the second most common cause of ill-health in Falkirk.
• Substantial health inequalities exist between the most and least deprived areas of Falkirk. In the most deprived areas of Falkirk, men are expected to live 14 years less than in the lest deprived areas.
• Changes to the cost of living have resulted in people facing food insecurity and fuel poverty, widening inequality and impacting health and wellbeing.

Download the Phase 1 Engagement report below, or visit the strategic plan webpage for more information.

Phase 1 Report: Strategic Plan Engagement Results 

With thanks to the following groups and organisations for taking part during this phase:

• CVS Falkirk Health and Wellbeing Forum
• Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre
• Falkirk Communities Mental Health Group
• Falkirk Community Planning Partnership
• Falkirk Older People’s Network
• Falkirk Promise Implementation Group
• Falkirk Third Sector Network
• Forth Valley College – Falkirk Campus
• Forth Valley Migrant Association
• New Scots Partnership
• Colleagues in Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, Falkirk Council, and NHS Forth Valley, and other local care providers.