Yesterday, we attended ‘What if we got it right?: Creating a sustainable, resilient and equitable health system for Scotland’ at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. The conference brought together people from health, care, policy, and academia to discuss how Scotland can respond to climate change, improve population health, and reduce inequalities.

One of the central themes was the implementation gap between what we know we need to achieve (a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future) and where we are now.

As explained by the event organisers:

‘The Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Annual Report 2025-26 highlights that 28% of adults in Scotland live with two or more long-term conditions, healthy life expectancy is declining, and people living in the most deprived communities experience over 25 fewer years in good health than those living in the least deprived communities. Progress in reducing premature mortality has also stalled, particularly in communities facing the greatest disadvantage. At the same time, Scotland is facing the growing impacts of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. The annual report describes the planetary health crisis as one of the most significant disruptors of our time, with the potential to increase demand for health and care services, change patterns of disease, and place additional pressure on communities and infrastructure.’

The climate and nature crisis is a public health crisis. If we ‘get it right’, we will address the threats to climate, nature, and health together. Doing so requires a combination of small, practical actions that individuals and organisations can influence, alongside the more fundamental changes needed to transform systems that are not delivering the outcomes we need. It also requires new ways of communicating about climate change, framing it not only as an environmental issue but as a public health issue that affects everyone.

Another recurring theme was the importance of creativity in tackling complex challenges. This was demonstrated through excellent workshops led by Culture for Climate Scotland and Design HOPES, alongside the Design HOPES exhibition.

NHS Highland’s Sustainability Team member Dr. Sarah Bowyer is a co-investigator for Design Hopes. Sarah helped design Mosaic Landscapes, a participatory co-design tool to support better decision-making in landscape and spatial planning.

We look forward to continuing this conversation next week at Raigmore, where we will have a stand at midday as part of NHS Highland’s Climate Week event series.

Thank you to the event organisers and speakers, including Public Health Scotland, Greener Practice, DesignHOPES, RCGP Scotland, Centre for Net Positive Health & Climate Solutions, and Glasgow Changing Futures.