Self Management round up 2023

Our Self Management programme and fund has continued to support projects and raise awareness.

Self Management Fund

The Self Management Fund continued supporting funded organisations to successfully deliver their projects, with projects supported to demonstrate the impact of their work through the SMF Project Insights series on ALLIANCE Live. Resilience, Recovery and Development Round 3 saw changes to the assessment process, with the team delivering three Q&A Sessions for potential applicants and training for all Grant Allocation Panel members. The new round of funding started in October 2023, with 34 new projects championing self management across Scotland, supporting individuals experiencing disrupted care and addressing the wider determinants of health.

To increase resilience, the team is now headed up by a Programme Manager overseeing both the Fund and wider Self Management work. At the end of the year we were also joined by our new Grants and Impact Officer, bringing a wealth of other funding experience.

Self Management Programme

A Self Management awareness campaign ran from June to September, with 40 short videos from stakeholders created and shared on social media. Contributors shared what they do to keep themselves well and provided self management tips and myth busting. The team led Self Management Week in September with sessions as varied as Forest Bathing, and research into the role supported self management can play for people living with the effects of stroke. Online sessions were recorded and have been shared via the ALLIANCE YouTube channel.  The Self Management Awards, sponsored by Gillian Mackay MSP, were held in person for the first time since 2019, with seven award winners and the shortlisted nominees celebrated.  Jenni Minto MSP, Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, was in attendance and gave positive feedback on the award winners and the other nominees.  

The Self Management Network Scotland continues to grow. Now at over 900 members, the team host regular online networking sessions and a monthly news bulletin facilitating the sharing of good practice and knowledge across Scotland. A monthly e-bulletin is circulated to all members and well as daily tweets on areas of interest and members are supported to make connections as well publish blogs and articles that promote the impact of their work.

Self Management Reflective Practice sessions continue to be of interest across sectors, with participants valuing the practical knowledge provided and space to connect and reflect with peers.  Sessions were delivered to new Community Links Workers, primary care staff and to a group of 85 at the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Services team as part of their development day, while conversations have continued with partners in other regions about the tailoring of future sessions.

In addition, the team organised various training sessions for ALLIANCE staff through our self management contacts: training on Hate Crime and Discrimination in collaboration with West of Scotland Regional Equality Council and on Understanding and Working with Autistic Women in collaboration with Scottish Women’s Autism Network (SWAN). The team also hosted a 2^nd year Health and Social Care student from Glasgow Kelvin College for six weeks.

Find the Self Management Team on X (formerly Twitter) @SelfMgmtScot.

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