Health in Scotland
“The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2
One’s health is second only to one’s safety. It is the duty of government to protect its citizens from external threats and from violence within its borders. Close behind this, it is the duty of government to support and promote the health of the nation. It is a blessing from God that health care in Britain is free at the point of delivery. The Scottish Christian Party is pleased to see that the recommendation in its 2007 Manifesto to abolish prescription charges is now being implemented. There is much work to be done to counter the effect of alcohol, drugs, tobacco and immoral lifestyles in contributing to ill-health.
1. National Health Service
The Scottish Christian Party supports the National Health Service, celebrating it as a gift from God, and believes that health care should be free at the point of delivery. However, in spite of massive investment in recent years, demand continues to rise while the recent Government spending review has slashed spending on the NHS from an annual increase of 6% to 0.4%, the lowest since the 1950s. The British Medical Journal reports that “current pressures on the NHS are largely a consequence of lifestyle related illnesses that are preventable” which demands action far beyond the NHS.
The allocation of limited resources requires proper individual stewardship and relief from over-management. The inefficiency in the health service is a personal issue requiring the promotion of individual conscientiousness as well as organisational readiness to heed initiatives from individuals on the ground. The Scottish Christian Party will seek to create incentives for individual participation and involvement in solutions in order to draw on local knowledge and talents. We will encourage retention of savings within departments which make the savings, thereby giving incentives to individual groups to identify savings and work towards efficient solutions.
2. Abortion
The Scottish Christian Party believes that the life of the unborn child should be protected to the full extent of the powers available to the Scottish Parliament. We will campaign for full human rights to be given to the unborn child, thus acknowledging the child’s humanity from conception. As this is not a devolved matter, although we have a separate judicial system, the Scottish Parliament needs power to protect the unborn child in Scotland. The Scottish Christian Party will continue to press the Scottish Parliament either to seek powers under Scottish law to ban abortions or to request the Westminster Parliament to do so, whilst recognising that the life of her unborn child may be lost in seeking to save the life of a mother. The current policy will continue to adversely affect the population and employment requirements of Scotland. We will encourage more advice and supportive care for all expectant mothers, who have most to lose from abortion.
3. Work-Rest Balance
Whilst recognising that one person’s level of stress is another person’s requirement for productivity, the Scottish Christian Party will promote the restoration of a healthy work-rest balance.
4. Personal Worth
We believe that restoring a sense of purpose and personal worth will promote realistic and achievable aims in each individual’s life and help to remove the depression and despair so evident in modern life. We will promote policies that seek to identify the talents of individuals and to use their energies and resources for their personal and our collective good. Motivation and rewards are God-given means for the promotion and recognition of faithful service.
We will publicise the catastrophic effect of ungodly behaviour on health and life expectancy, particularly homosexuality, excessive drinking and the use of addictive substances. We would do this in a way that shows Christian love to those affected and that offers them help to return to a healthy lifestyle.
5. Obesity
Obesity is a new epidemic which threatens the health and longevity of the individual, as well as the economic well-being of the nation. We will promote physical education in schools and will protect physical education teachers from unreasonable litigation through school insurance schemes. We will encourage personal exercise programmes and employment-based health promotion schemes by encouraging the use of local authority-owned facilities.
6. International Health
The health of the nation can be affected by international ill health. Infectious diseases such as avian flu and Aids know no boundaries. Immigration also brings new health challenges to the nation. We believe that a portion of foreign aid budgets should target the world’s poor and needy not only for their sake, but also out of Christian charity. We believe that a robust health education program for international travellers should be initiated, especially in advance of international sporting and other events in high risk areas.
7. Addictions: Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking
Our drugs and alcohol policy involves the promotion of personal worth. The wanton defacing of the image of God in man, attributing less responsibility to a non-sober human being to the extent that many use this as an excuse for criminal behaviour, reveals a lack of self-worth and accountability that arises from humanist philosophy. Too many look upon alcohol as an escape from their low self-esteem, just as an obese person may turn to comfort eating. We believe a restoration of God’s estimate of their personal worth will help individuals to regain their self-control. The Scottish Christian Party will legislate to support efforts against easy access to alcohol, particularly for the young, and it will also seek to increase taxation on alcohol and tobacco. Our policy on illegal drugs is discussed under Law and Home Affairs.
8. Personal or Other Insurance Schemes
While we believe in unconditional care for the needy, we also note that alcohol impinges disproportionately on the costs of Accident and Emergency medicine and other medical services. We will support initiatives to bring personal responsibility to bear upon self-inflicted disease, whether through personal or other insurance schemes. The costs of careless driving and road traffic accidents should be recouped more effectively to the NHS through insurance schemes. Participation in dangerous sports should be properly insured so that the NHS can recoup its costs for emergency medicine. Irresponsible use of the emergency services is a growing phenomenon, impinging upon the responsible use of these services. We will support initiatives tackling this problem
9. Prescription Charges
The Scottish Christian Party is pleased to see that the recommendation in its 2007 Manifesto to abolish prescription charges is now being implemented. We acknowledge the successful efforts made by General Practitioners to reduce patient expectations for a prescription. Along similar lines, General Practitioners merit more assistance to reduce patient dependence upon Sickness Benefit certificates.
10. Parental Rights
The Scottish Christian Party supports parental authority and not state authority over children. We will promote parental rights regarding the medical treatment of children, particularly relating to contraceptive services and abortion. We believe that parents have the right to know what medical treatment their underage child is having, and the right to decide what medical treatment they should have, so long as the sanctity of life remains paramount at all times.
11. Care of the Elderly
The Scottish Christian Party will promote the care of the elderly in a Christian environment and review rules which make it difficult for small local hospices to offer a vital service to rural and isolated communities.
The provision of care at home is important. Live-in funded carers should be encouraged to maintain elderly persons in their own home, and to improve the home care network. Those who live alone need a statutory minimum daily input from home care services, which needs more efficient co-ordination by local authorities. We will support the involvement of local churches in this service.
The vulnerable elderly need an equal level of protection that is given to children, and sometimes more. The Scottish Christian Party is concerned at the slow response of some social work departments to a charge of abuse of care which impinges upon the health of a vulnerable elderly person. This can be contrasted with the procedures and speed of action when a child is at risk, and with the speed of action by police officers when a breech of equalities legislation is invoked. We will review guardianship legislation to allow more effective challenge and accountability.
12. Euthanasia
The Scottish Christian Party believes in the sanctity of human life and will oppose attempts to legislate for euthanasia. We are thankful that the End of Life Assistance Bill was defeated in the Scottish Parliament in 2010.
We are grateful for the development of the hospice movement with its focus on care for the terminally ill, and the introduction of its lessons to mainstream health care.
We recognise that the quality of palliative care in the UK promotes the highest standards. We remain concerned that this will be compromised by euthanasia because it will only introduce insecurity to the vulnerable elderly at a stage in their life when they need reassurance.
Christian Party Members of Parliament will:
“The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2
One’s health is second only to one’s safety. It is the duty of government to protect its citizens from external threats and from violence within its borders. Close behind this, it is the duty of government to support and promote the health of the nation. It is a blessing from God that health care in Britain is free at the point of delivery. The Scottish Christian Party is pleased to see that the recommendation in its 2007 Manifesto to abolish prescription charges is now being implemented. There is much work to be done to counter the effect of alcohol, drugs, tobacco and immoral lifestyles in contributing to ill-health.
1. National Health Service
The Scottish Christian Party supports the National Health Service, celebrating it as a gift from God, and believes that health care should be free at the point of delivery. However, in spite of massive investment in recent years, demand continues to rise while the recent Government spending review has slashed spending on the NHS from an annual increase of 6% to 0.4%, the lowest since the 1950s. The British Medical Journal reports that “current pressures on the NHS are largely a consequence of lifestyle related illnesses that are preventable” which demands action far beyond the NHS.
The allocation of limited resources requires proper individual stewardship and relief from over-management. The inefficiency in the health service is a personal issue requiring the promotion of individual conscientiousness as well as organisational readiness to heed initiatives from individuals on the ground. The Scottish Christian Party will seek to create incentives for individual participation and involvement in solutions in order to draw on local knowledge and talents. We will encourage retention of savings within departments which make the savings, thereby giving incentives to individual groups to identify savings and work towards efficient solutions.
2. Abortion
The Scottish Christian Party believes that the life of the unborn child should be protected to the full extent of the powers available to the Scottish Parliament. We will campaign for full human rights to be given to the unborn child, thus acknowledging the child’s humanity from conception. As this is not a devolved matter, although we have a separate judicial system, the Scottish Parliament needs power to protect the unborn child in Scotland. The Scottish Christian Party will continue to press the Scottish Parliament either to seek powers under Scottish law to ban abortions or to request the Westminster Parliament to do so, whilst recognising that the life of her unborn child may be lost in seeking to save the life of a mother. The current policy will continue to adversely affect the population and employment requirements of Scotland. We will encourage more advice and supportive care for all expectant mothers, who have most to lose from abortion.
3. Work-Rest Balance
Whilst recognising that one person’s level of stress is another person’s requirement for productivity, the Scottish Christian Party will promote the restoration of a healthy work-rest balance.
4. Personal Worth
We believe that restoring a sense of purpose and personal worth will promote realistic and achievable aims in each individual’s life and help to remove the depression and despair so evident in modern life. We will promote policies that seek to identify the talents of individuals and to use their energies and resources for their personal and our collective good. Motivation and rewards are God-given means for the promotion and recognition of faithful service.
We will publicise the catastrophic effect of ungodly behaviour on health and life expectancy, particularly homosexuality, excessive drinking and the use of addictive substances. We would do this in a way that shows Christian love to those affected and that offers them help to return to a healthy lifestyle.
5. Obesity
Obesity is a new epidemic which threatens the health and longevity of the individual, as well as the economic well-being of the nation. We will promote physical education in schools and will protect physical education teachers from unreasonable litigation through school insurance schemes. We will encourage personal exercise programmes and employment-based health promotion schemes by encouraging the use of local authority-owned facilities.
6. International Health
The health of the nation can be affected by international ill health. Infectious diseases such as avian flu and Aids know no boundaries. Immigration also brings new health challenges to the nation. We believe that a portion of foreign aid budgets should target the world’s poor and needy not only for their sake, but also out of Christian charity. We believe that a robust health education program for international travellers should be initiated, especially in advance of international sporting and other events in high risk areas.
7. Addictions: Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking
Our drugs and alcohol policy involves the promotion of personal worth. The wanton defacing of the image of God in man, attributing less responsibility to a non-sober human being to the extent that many use this as an excuse for criminal behaviour, reveals a lack of self-worth and accountability that arises from humanist philosophy. Too many look upon alcohol as an escape from their low self-esteem, just as an obese person may turn to comfort eating. We believe a restoration of God’s estimate of their personal worth will help individuals to regain their self-control. The Scottish Christian Party will legislate to support efforts against easy access to alcohol, particularly for the young, and it will also seek to increase taxation on alcohol and tobacco. Our policy on illegal drugs is discussed under Law and Home Affairs.
8. Personal or Other Insurance Schemes
While we believe in unconditional care for the needy, we also note that alcohol impinges disproportionately on the costs of Accident and Emergency medicine and other medical services. We will support initiatives to bring personal responsibility to bear upon self-inflicted disease, whether through personal or other insurance schemes. The costs of careless driving and road traffic accidents should be recouped more effectively to the NHS through insurance schemes. Participation in dangerous sports should be properly insured so that the NHS can recoup its costs for emergency medicine. Irresponsible use of the emergency services is a growing phenomenon, impinging upon the responsible use of these services. We will support initiatives tackling this problem
9. Prescription Charges
The Scottish Christian Party is pleased to see that the recommendation in its 2007 Manifesto to abolish prescription charges is now being implemented. We acknowledge the successful efforts made by General Practitioners to reduce patient expectations for a prescription. Along similar lines, General Practitioners merit more assistance to reduce patient dependence upon Sickness Benefit certificates.
10. Parental Rights
The Scottish Christian Party supports parental authority and not state authority over children. We will promote parental rights regarding the medical treatment of children, particularly relating to contraceptive services and abortion. We believe that parents have the right to know what medical treatment their underage child is having, and the right to decide what medical treatment they should have, so long as the sanctity of life remains paramount at all times.
11. Care of the Elderly
The Scottish Christian Party will promote the care of the elderly in a Christian environment and review rules which make it difficult for small local hospices to offer a vital service to rural and isolated communities.
The provision of care at home is important. Live-in funded carers should be encouraged to maintain elderly persons in their own home, and to improve the home care network. Those who live alone need a statutory minimum daily input from home care services, which needs more efficient co-ordination by local authorities. We will support the involvement of local churches in this service.
The vulnerable elderly need an equal level of protection that is given to children, and sometimes more. The Scottish Christian Party is concerned at the slow response of some social work departments to a charge of abuse of care which impinges upon the health of a vulnerable elderly person. This can be contrasted with the procedures and speed of action when a child is at risk, and with the speed of action by police officers when a breech of equalities legislation is invoked. We will review guardianship legislation to allow more effective challenge and accountability.
12. Euthanasia
The Scottish Christian Party believes in the sanctity of human life and will oppose attempts to legislate for euthanasia. We are thankful that the End of Life Assistance Bill was defeated in the Scottish Parliament in 2010.
We are grateful for the development of the hospice movement with its focus on care for the terminally ill, and the introduction of its lessons to mainstream health care.
We recognise that the quality of palliative care in the UK promotes the highest standards. We remain concerned that this will be compromised by euthanasia because it will only introduce insecurity to the vulnerable elderly at a stage in their life when they need reassurance.
Christian Party Members of Parliament will:
- Maintain the NHS as free at the point of use.
- Encourage local solutions and retain savings locally.
- Protect the unborn child and resist the voluntary euthanasia lobby.
- Encourage healthy lifestyles and a work-rest balance.
- Promote personal worth for mental health issues and addiction.
- Improve care for the elderly and vulnerable elderly.