A summary of Self Management Week events

A quick overview of a variety of events the ALLIANCE were involved in over the course of Self Management Week 2019.

Monday 7 October 2019 – Supporting Healthy Communities: a practical session on libraries in self management

To kick of Self Management Week and Libraries Week, we celebrated with a joint event between the ALLIANCE and Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), sealing the recent partnership agreement between both organisations. The event was also partnered and supported by NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government.

The event focused on the role of the libraries in promoting health and wellbeing. It provided unique opportunity to work with colleagues across libraries, voluntary and community organisations to develop ideas for working in partnership to deliver local programmes.

We were delighted to be joined by a range of keynote speakers including our very own Ian Welsh Chief Executive of the ALLIANCE and Pamela Tulloch Chief Executive of SLIC. Dr Alyson Tyler shared initial finding on research into health and wellbeing provisions in Scotland’s public libraries and Professor Jim McGoldrick Shadow Chair of Public Health Scotland launched a Collective Force for Health & Wellbeing a collaborative strategic action plan. The action plan sets out a national commitment to working together across libraries, health and social care, and the third sector to help transform Scotland’s approach to health and wellbeing.

In addition, we had a range of workshops that where delivered in rotation to ensure delegates leave with ideas, contacts and resources to develop and run their own health & wellbeing sessions. The workshops included the Co-creating for wellbeing project team who shared the learning around using a co-design approach involving libraries, third sector organisations and health and social care staff together with individuals to consider the changes that are needed to ensure people are supported to self manage within their community.  Highlife Highland Libraries which discussed health and wellbeing initiatives in highland libraries highlighting the You Time project. It included partnership working with NHS to repurpose public library stock for use by people in a range of settings. OnFife Libraries shared their work on Ways to Wellbeing which supports health communities in Fife.

The event was a great success with fantastic feedback from delegates including;

• Learning about the range of initiatives taking place. Reinforcing the importance of libraries in health and wellbeing
• Hearing about other health and wellbeing initiatives throughout Scotland. A great opportunity to network with other parties
• The examples of best practice were particularly useful and inspiring. Lots of things that we will try to emulate
• The breadth of speakers gave the day a variety of learning outcomes
• Will definitely connect with libraries more in future when working across Scotland
• Excellent event. Good opportunity to network.  Take away learning is that libraries across Scotland are already carrying out innovative work to encourage their communities and health and wellbeing

The ALLIANCE want to say a massive thank you to our partners, speakers, workshop hosts and delegates in supporting the events and making it success.

Wednesday 9^th October – Self Management Marketplace: Network. Learn. Share.

Self Management week was continued on Wednesday with the Self Management Marketplace, where health and social care colleagues and the ALLIANCE members came together to discuss and share experiences on self management approaches being delivered across Scotland. Round table discussions were hosted in both the morning and the afternoon by organisations who are currently delivering services to support people to Self Manage. These instigated in depth conversations regarding successes, difficulties and areas of future development when delivering support to Self Management. Our exhibitor’s Self Management service areas included:

• Families in Trauma’s online peer support mental health course “The Leaning Post” – a platform which provides families who have experienced trauma with access to visual and audio interviews of individuals who have also gone through similar circumstances.
• The “Understanding Substance Use and Holding onto Hope” course developed by Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs as part of The Family Recovery College.
• Wellbeing Scotland’s partnership with Alloa Athletic Football Club to deliver “The Man Cave” – a weekly support group for men to discuss mental health issues, coping strategies or any other topics they are interested in talking about that day.
• The “Living Well” Self Management guides developed by NHS 24 as part of NHS Inform, focusing on the day-to-day challenges which people face living with different conditions.
• AIMS Advocacy’s multi-media creative project “Doing it Our Way”, a project which provides a platform for those with lived experience of mental ill health to share their stories.
• The Disabled Living Foundation’s information and online advice services AskSARA, Living Made Easy, Youreable and DFL Factsheets which help individuals identify appropriate equipment to support their independent living.
• The GCVS’s Community Connectors Lifestyle management service which supports older people who are living with one or more long term condition to take positive steps towards better self management.

Some fantastic discussions, practice sharing and networking took place. It was great to see how different organisations are centring their services around Self Management, and how idea and experience sharing will support its continued development.

Thank you to all the contributors, exhibitors and attendees of the Self Management Marketplace.

10^th October – Assembling the Jigsaw Together: Realistic Medicine and Supported Self Management Conference, Grampian

On Thursday, the Grampian Self Management Network hosted their Realistic Medicine and Supported Self Management Conference

The conference brought together over * delegates from across the North East of Scotland.  Delegates were addressed by the Chief Medical Officer who spoke of the approaches, behaviours and attitudes that underpin the realistic medicine agenda including compassionate leadership and a supported workforce.

Dr Malcolm Metcalfe, NHS Grampian Associate Medical Director for Acute spoke of the work being taken across Grampian to ensure the realistic medicine agenda was being taken forward, and he highlighted that the Grampian Self Management Network plays an important role in ensuring people and staff are connected and can come together to share ideas and practice.

Steve Baguley, Clinical Director for eHealth updated delegates on the work of the National Digital Platform and Chris Littlejohn and Dr Hannah Robertson described where how the self management agenda is being progressed to ensure that across the health and social care system, supported self management becomes the norm.

There were a range of workshops that delegates could attend to find out about work taking place in the North East of Scotland.  Heidi Tweedie from Moray Wellbeing Hub and Sara Redmond from the ALLIANCE took delegates through a facilitated session to help explore ‘what action needs to happen to ‘Assemble the Jigsaw’ for realistic medicine and supported self management in the North East’.  By utilising the CHIME framework as a way of sense checking actions to ensure they meet wellbeing outcomes.  CHIME is evidence-based research that initially looked at self management in terms of recovery from mental health challenges. It stands for Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment. For more information, please visit http://www.researchintorecovery.com/ (this link will take you away from our website).

Some fantastic discussions, practice sharing and networking took place.

The ALLIANCE want to say a massive thank you to our partners, speakers, workshop hosts and delegates in supporting this event and making it success.

To feature an event your project or organisation held during Self Management Week 2019 please email smw@alliance-scotland.org.uk.

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