Self Management Awards 2021 – winners announced

Self management champions across Scotland celebrated at the ALLIANCE annual awards ceremony.

On Wednesday 29 September, ALLIANCE members, staff and colleagues attended the second digital event ceremony to recognise those shortlisted for the 2021 Self Management Awards. With this year’s event taking place virtually from the comfort of our own homes, there were sequins, bow ties and even some disco lights to mark the occasion.

The Self Management Awards are held to recognise those leading the way in self management across Scotland. This year, the event was hosted by Laura Boyd from STV News who introduced a welcome by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf. The Cabinet Secretary (this link will take you away from our website) acknowledged how difficult the last eighteen months have been for everybody but particularly disabled people, people living with long term conditions and unpaid carers.

Lindsay Steven, 2020 winner of the Individual Transformational Story of the Year Award, delivered the keynote address about his journey to winning the award last year and what it has meant to him since receiving the nomination. Lindsay expressed the importance of self management, through his own experience of managing sleep and building mental health resilience:

“Self management is a way of life – I live and breathe self management”

The award categories recognise individuals, projects and organisations who are making a difference delivering innovative services to communities. We are delighted to announce the winners of the Self Management Awards 2021 are as follows:

Self Management Resource of the Year

Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) Toolkit – Penumbra

Guided by Penumbra’s HOPE framework and informed by lived experience of ARBD, Penumbra’s new ARBD toolkit (this link will take you away from our website) contains person centred tools and guidance on strategies for recovery. These include stress management, nutrition, sleep and exercise, home safety, memory exercises, rights and benefits amongst others. It is possible to have ARBD and live a happy and fulfilling life – and this toolkit shows how.

Self Management Champions of the Year

Candice McKenzie and Claire Beattie

Aside from the social aspect and making people feel human and valuable again, Candice and Claire (Endo Warriors West Lothian (this link will take you away from our website)) champion women’s rights and disability protection rights, and are working tirelessly to find more information out about endometriosis.

They are engaging with doctors, researchers and students, hospitals and drug companies, alternative therapists, anyone who will listen and anyone who has knowledge which may help others on their endo journey. They post hugely insightful content exploring the wide range of issues that affect people.

Candice and Claire’s work really allow people to take control of their endometriosis and navigate their own way through it.  They support people to choose their own paths and the treatments they wish to try.

Individual Transformational Story of the Year in partnership with Humans of Scotland

Chaimae Baqqari

Chaimae has made an amazing transformation by embarking on a self management journey.  She has progressed from requiring 24 hour support and being unable to leave the house on her own to being a high functioning, independent person, working in the community, supporting vulnerable families and delivering the Moira Anderson Foundation’s Hands on Health self management programme to the groups she supports.

Her delivering the programme within the BME community is of great value as there is often barriers to participation for people within this community in accessing appropriate services, one of the huge barriers often being language.

Having the capacity to translate the programme has enabled Chaimae to break down barriers and make the programme more accessible to people within the community.  Through this, she is spreading the ethos and value of self management, inspiring others to take a self management approach that will enable them to live life better on their terms.

Self Management Employability Award in partnership with SUSE

Recovery Enterprises Scotland

Recovery Enterprises Scotland (this link will take you away from our website) was established to work with communities to tackle social issues such as poverty, isolation, and equitable access to support. When the pandemic hit, their Recovery Café closed though quickly adapted to delivering a community outreach model, demonstrating compassion, selflessness, and commitment to helping others. Since June 2020, providing 3,500 food parcels, reaching over 150 households who’d never been in contact before, acting as a conduit with services to address needs. They opened their Foundations Hub in April 2021, currently 4 days a week, as part of continuing developments, offering enhanced wellbeing, purpose and meaning to marginalised groups.

Self Management Digital Innovator Award in partnership with Discover Digital

SMS:CONNECT Programme

Children’s Health Scotland is a national charity that aims to ensure that all children and young people get the healthcare, treatment, and support that they need. SMS:CONNECT (this link will take you away from our website) is a safe and secure online platform which is home to twice weekly group sessions, discussion boards, private messaging, health and wellbeing resources and interactive e-learning tools.

Evaluation has demonstrated that SMS:CONNECT is effective in improving children and young people’s self-esteem, self-confidence, communication skills and coping strategies; that individuals are able to engage and build relationships online; and that online support is positively received by young people, their families and health professionals.

Self Management in the Community Award in partnership with Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Long Term Conditions Hebrides

Long Term Conditions Hebrides (LTCH) (this link will take you away from our website) was set up in 2018 by people who have long-term conditions (LTCs) for people who have long-term conditions with the aim of providing activities to help people help themselves.

From inception, the volunteer committee members, all of whom have LTCs, wished to work in partnership with others to expand the reach of LTCH, to encourage community cohesion and to encourage other organisations to appreciate and adopt self management approaches.

LTCH works closely with NeuroHebrides (a local charity) and, particularly during the pandemic, the two organisations shared resources and ran for example joint Mindfulness and yoga sessions via Zoom. LTCH has close links with the local GP surgery, Broadbay Medical Practice and their service is a social prescribing initiative with numbers of beneficiaries being signposted from this surgery or referred by primary of secondary health care professionals.

Self Management Project of the Year

Meal Makers (Food Train)

Meal Makers (this link will take you away from our website) is a unique project that helps older people (Diners) to eat well, age well and live independently in their own homes. Diners are matched with their very own volunteer cook in their local community who makes a regular home cooked meal for them and shares that meal with them. This bespoke service not only provides older people access to regular nutritious home cooked meals but they are also able to make a new friend at the same time.

Sara Redmond, Director of Development and Improvement, closed the event congratulating all nominees on the success of the work they are achieving, which is positively impacting their communities. We want to thank all those involved in the awards, including nominators, nominees, our panel of judges, sponsors, speakers and staff. We really enjoyed this event and look forward to the prospect of seeing everyone in person for the 2022 awards.

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