Dumbarton, Clydebank and Vale of Leven health centres.
By Lucy Ashton
The latest Scottish Health Survey has exposed the damage done by “16 years of SNP failure”, Scottish Labour has said.
The annual report shows health in Scotland declining across a range of measures.
The proportion of adults describing their overall health as good or very good fell to 70 per cent in 2022, plummeting from 75 per cent the previous year.
Health inequalities continue to plague Scotland, with those living in the most deprived areas being four times more likely to describe their health as bad or very bad compared to the least deprived.
Prevalence of limiting long-term conditions increased again, rising from 26% in 2008, to 34% in 2021, to 37% in 2022.
The report revealed that last year 38 per cent of adults – including 43 per cent of women – were living with chronic pain.
Loneliness among adults rose and mental wellbeing declined again in 2022, falling to a historic low since the survey began in 2008.
Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie, right, said “This report is a damning indictment of the SNP’s time in government.
“After 16 years of SNP failure, health is declining, mental wellbeing is at its worst point on record and health inequalities remain stubbornly wide.
“These scandalous trends are not just the result of the current chaos in our NHS, but a shameful symptom of years of mismanagement right across the board.
“We need urgent action in every area to tackle inequalities and improve health and wellbeing, from fixing the crisis in our over-stretched NHS to building a stronger and fairer economy.”
- Between 2008 and 2021 the proportion of adults describing their general health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ ranged between 71-77%. In 2022 the prevalence decreased to 70%.
- Those living in areas of greatest deprivation (SIMD quintile 1) were four times as likely as those living in the least deprived areas (SIMD quintile 5) to describe their health in general as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ (18%, compared with 4% in the most deprived quintile).
- Over a third (38%) of adults were in pain or discomfort that lasted three months or more.
- A higher proportion of women (43%) reported being in chronic pain than men (33%).
- Prevalence of limiting long-term conditions increased from 26% in 2008, to 34% in 2021, to 37% in 2022.
- Average levels of mental wellbeing continued to decrease in 2022, reaching a historic low since measurement of this began on the survey in 2008. In 2022, the average score on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) for adults was 47, having been 48.6 in 2021 and within the range of 49.4 – 50 between 2008-2019.
- The proportion of adults feeling lonely most or all of the time increased from 8% in 2021 to 11% in 2022.