We know this from the Health Foundation’s recently launched report ‘‘Leave no one behind: The state of health and health inequalities in Scotland”. It was the culmination of a multi-stranded review undertaken over the past 12 months, focusing on how the health of Scots has fared in the two decades since devolution.

Some of the starkest findings revealed that the health of those in the most deprived areas is falling behind that of the rest of the population. And that the poorest children are at particular risk of experiencing worsening health outcomes, which will have consequences for the rest of their lives.

The numbers of children dying before their first birthday in deprived areas is rising, in stark contrast to the rest of the population where deaths in infancy are static or improving. By 2016-18, infant mortality rates in the most deprived fifth of areas were 2.6 times the rate in the least deprived.

No single entity can reduce health inequalities and address poverty rates alone. Practical collaboration is needed across all parts of society – the Scottish Government, local authorities, businesses, the third sector and local communities. Such cross-sector working requires setting clear, focused goals for both short-term action and a longer-term, preventive approach to tackling inequalities and poverty, underpinned by a commitment to learn from what works – and what doesn’t – and with flexibility to adapt to different localities.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Politics Matters