What We Do
Healthier working lives for all
Whatever people want to do for a living, and wherever they are in Scotland, our vision is to give them the opportunity to work in ways that allow them not only to sustain, but also to improve, their health and well-being.
Over the next few years, we will be playing a key role in helping the Scottish Government to reduce work-related ill health by 20%, and days lost to ill health by 30%.
We also want to support those who aren’t currently employed – for example, due to a period of ill health – but who want to go back to work, and reap all the benefits of employment.
Historically, Scotland has had a poor health record, though in recent years much has been done to turn this around. Our health is improving, and premature deaths from both accidents and disease are declining.
The role of work and workplaces in contributing to this progress has been fundamental, and this remains the case as we strive to achieve the levels of health enjoyed by most of our European neighbours.
The fact is that everyone in Scotland will benefit from the creation of a healthier workforce.
Our role
Our role is to act as the catalyst and facilitator for the delivery of Healthy Working Lives in Scotland.
Our five key deliverables
These are:
- to deliver and develop services, either directly or through delivery partners, that promote the Healthy Working Lives agenda
- to translate policy for Healthy Working Lives and report on implementation progress and impact
- to create coherence and a shared sense of direction for Healthy Working Lives among partners and stakeholders
- to inform policy for Healthy Working Lives
- to build the evidence base for Healthy Working Lives to enable the development of the long-term business case.
Performance management and reporting
The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives has invested in a performance management and reporting system called SMART4PM (Strategic Measurement and Reporting Tool for performance Management). SMART4PM allows the Centre to capture and report on a range of routine performance measures, such as participation in the Healthy Working Lives Award Programme. SMART4PM is also used for progress reporting against development projects being taken forward by the Scottish Centre.
Progress reporting of the Scottish Centre’s activities is also undertaken through the NHS Health Scotland corporate reporting system, which is used to generate performance data for consideration at Board Meetings. The Scottish Centre also regularly reports to the Board directly on different aspects of the Healthy Working Lives agenda, especially where its work particularly relates to other core activities of NHS Health Scotland. NHS Health Scotland, as a Scottish NHS Board, is also subject to an Annual Review process conducted by Scottish Ministers, and this review includes consideration of the Centre and its activities.
Where the Centre came from
The idea for the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives emerged from the Scottish Executive’s strategy document ‘Healthy Working Lives: a plan for action’ which was published in August 2004.
This document sets out how the Executive planned to put the workplace strand of its health improvement plans into action.
→ View or download ‘Healthy Working Lives: a plan for action’ (external site)
The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives – established in 2005 as part of NHS Health Scotland – builds on the strengths of work by its five ‘legacy’ organisations:
- Scotland's Health at Work (SHAW)
- Safe and Healthy Working (SaHW)
- NHS Health Scotland's Workplace Programme
- Scotland Against Drugs - Workplace and Employability strands (incorporated April 2006)
- Scottish Government’s Protecting Workers Serving the Public Programme (incorporated April 2007)
