Future Trends for Scotland: An Opportunity for Community Pharmacy to Support?

Published: 19/06/25

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, Kate Forbes MSP, has published the Future Trends for Scotland Report this week.

This publication is just one piece of work the Scottish Government is doing to get Scotland ready for the challenges of the future. It provides open analysis to spark reflection and discussion, and guide decision making. It talks about the need for decision makers to adapt as things change, and build resilience, preparedness and flexibility into policies and the decisions made, taking preventative action where possible.

The report provides robust evidence in the form of 60 trends likely to be important to Scotland over the next 10-to-20 years covering a broad range of thematic areas including politics, the economy, society, technology, health, and the environment.

Focusing on the area of health, there is a recognised need for greater focus on preventative health interventions specifically within communities faced with drug related deaths, those who use vapes, and people living with obesity. It was noted that vaccine hesitancy is also rising, and immunisation uptake is declining in Scotland. Each of these health related areas are key priorities within the soon-to-be published Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) Strategy, areas where community pharmacy teams could provide support.

We believe these areas of population health can be improved when people can gain timely access to healthcare professionals and tailored services close to their homes. The CPS Strategy for the community pharmacy network in Scotland will highlight key ambitions for the network to take a bigger step into the prevention and early detection of ill health in our communities, along with a call for a national community pharmacy vaccination service to be established. And as with any new services, the need for clear sustainable resourcing and digital infrastructure to support the network to deliver on this. 

These are topics which are informing the discussions we are having with political party manifesto development teams ahead of the Scottish Parliament 2026 election and part of our public affairs activity. Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming launch of the CPS Strategy for the community pharmacy network in Scotland this summer.

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