Health, wellbeing and inequality, financial pressures, climate change, energy use and natural resource consumption, ecosystem damage and species loss. Effective responses to these serious global and national sustainability challenges have never been more urgeny to society. The health sector, whether globally, or nationally and locally in Scotland, in linked intrinsically to all of these challenges, as they have implications for the health of the people we serve, as well as for the services we deliver and the way in which we do that to maximise efficiency and effectiveness.
Sustainable development is at the heart of the Scottish Government's purpose. In January 2012, the Scottish Government issued a sustainable development policy for NHSScotland (CEL 2 2012), recognising that the way NHSScotland manages its own assets and resources, and the need for Boards to 'lead by example', are vital.
CEL 2 2012 shapes the support services HFS provides to all NHSScotland Health Boards, and to the Scottish Government itself. HFS published a Sustainable Development Strategy to provide guidance for Boards on the interpretation and implementation of CEL 2 2012. Additionally, HFS co-ordinates the Good Corporate Citizenship Assessment Method (GCCAM) website and assists all Boards with their Sustainable Development Action Plans (SDAPs).
The key sustainable priorities for HFS are: