Twenty years of collective voice and action

As part of our 20 year anniversary, Kerry shares her reflections on how far the ALLIANCE has come, our achievements, and our impact.

The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) has come a long way, and looking back at our beginnings reveals just how far collective action can take us. Nearly twenty years ago, organisations across Scotland recognised a shared challenge, each was working hard to strengthen support for the third sector people living with long term conditions, but they were doing it in isolation. They were advocating for the same changes, facing the same barriers, and striving to be heard in the same national conversations, but they were acting alone. The sector knew it could go further together. 

That recognition sparked a movement. Organisations came together, campaigned for an alliance and in 2006 the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland was formed. This wasn’t simply the launch of a new organisation, it was the beginning of a collective voice with a shared purpose, influence, and the belief that people with lived experience must shape the systems that affect their lives. 

From the outset, individual members played a central role. Their experiences and insights guided our direction and grounded our work in the realities of people’s lives. With every new member, organisational or individual, our voice grew stronger, more diverse, and helped influence and shape national policy.  

Over the years, that collective voice continues to drive meaningful change. The innovative strategy Gaun Yersel, Scotland’s first Self Management Strategy, written by individuals with lived experience continues to shape self management practice today. Humans of Scotland created a platform for people to share their stories in their own words. One contributor, newly diagnosed with HIV, asked, “Where is the book?” Because of our partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust, that book now exists. It’s a powerful collection of experiences that would not have been captured without our members.  

Our members have also been central to shared campaigns such as the ALLIANCE’s More Than Words campaign, which called for national recognition of inclusive communication as a fundamental equality issue. Their voices helped shape the call for a Public Sector Equality Duty on inclusive communication, an example of how lived experience can directly influence policy. 

We worked with and will contribute to work with members to campaign on the cost of living and  funding cuts. Our collective voice meant more than 200 organisations signed an open letter to the First Minister calling for urgent action. 

What began with six founding organisations has grown into a network of more than 3,500 members. Our membership represents national charities, local grassroots organisations, and people whose lived experience continues to shape our understanding of what needs to change. This growth has strengthened not only our reach, but our ability to proactively influence national agenda and bring forward new priorities for Scotland. 

We see this influence clearly in national discussions. The Feeley Review includes direct quotes from our members, sharing clearly that a robust social care system must look like “a springboard, not a safety net,”. In the Healthier Scotland national conversation, ALLIANCE members were quoted throughout, shaping discussions on person‑centred care, integration, and the essential role of the third sector. Most recently, our members helped shape Scotland’s NHS Reform agenda, ensuring that the Scottish Government recognised the third sector as central to improving population health. 

Looking ahead, our strategy is guiding how we continue to evolve. We exist because of our members – everything we have achieved has been possible because of their collaboration and shared action. As we look to the next twenty years, one thing remains clear; that our collective voice is our greatest strength. Only together can we continue to shape Scotland’s future. 

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