Foreword
This is my second Annual Report, and I am delighted to be able to use it as an opportunity to reflect on the significant achievements across NHSScotland during 2008/09.
Good health is vitally important to all of us. It is the job of our health services and public service partners to protect and improve our health and to contribute to the achievement of the Government's Purpose to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.
Maintaining health, reducing inequalities in health outcomes and being supported to recover from or manage ill-health are all vital influences on the Scottish population's capacity to participate and produce economic growth as well as being an ultimate outcome for many people in its own right. This is why there are few public policy issues as important as the performance of our NHS.
In December 2007 we published our strategy for NHSScotland Better Health, Better Care. In this Annual Report, I set out the progress that has been made, highlighting some of the improvements for patients, their carers and families and for NHS staff alike. Among these achievements are: further improvements in waiting times, with a number of key targets being reached a year ahead of schedule; and significant progress in tackling Healthcare Associated Infection and improvements to ensure the safety of patients in our hospitals. A new strategy was launched to provide Better Cancer Care, progress has been made with a new Dental Action Plan and there has been collaborative action across the public sector to reduce health inequalities through the implementation of Equally Well.
All of this, and much more, has been achieved whilst once again ensuring financial balance and exceeding our targets for delivering efficiency savings.
None of this could have been possible without the continued hard work and dedication of the staff working in NHSScotland who, day in day out, provide care and treatment of immense value to the people of Scotland. On my visits around the country I am always impressed by their commitment and enthusiasm and I am grateful to them for all they have achieved.
As we prepare to respond to the challenges of the years ahead and continue to improve the quality of the healthcare services we deliver, the founding principle of universal care, free at the point of delivery, will continue to guide us. We will work with patients, their carers and families, NHSScotland staff and stakeholders across all sectors to deliver high quality healthcare services for everyone in Scotland. This Annual Report records a year of progress which provides a very firm foundation on which to build. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Dr Kevin Woods
Director-General Health and Chief Executive
NHSScotland