Ian Welsh: We must answer Christie report's radical call for action

While there has been some criticism of its avoidance of trickier issues – notably public sector job cuts – it has not shied away from setting out a radical vision for Scotland's future.

Not only does the commission conclude that such a vision is achievable, it makes no bones about the alternative – a bleak future indeed, particularly for the two million people who live with long-term conditions.

The report makes a compelling plea for a radical shift towards new approaches to delivering public services, backed up by greater transparency, accountability and legislation. It calls for us to build on models, such as the Self Management Fund, that harness and value the assets of individuals and communities. These approaches are based on co-production, prevention and a holistic approach that supports human rights.

The forthcoming financial challenges to public services mean an obligation to work smarter; to find more productive ways forward and to redesign services. The third sector must be an equal partner in delivering those shared ambitions at national and local levels.

An approach that views individuals and communities as being at the heart of solutions, rather than as problems. As a society we now stand at arguably the most significant crossroads since devolution.

The question is whether we bury our heads in the sand or take up the call to action represented by the Christie Commission report.

I hope that in considering the report our politicians, and others, remember the words of Edwin Morgan on the establishment of devolution:

What do people want of the place? They want it to be as open and adventurous as its architecture.

A nest of fearties is what they do not want.

A symposium of procrastinators is what they do not want.

A phalanx of forelock-tuggers is what they do not want.

• Ian Welsh is chief executive of charity LTCAS, the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland