A new ALLIANCE management team: delivering the ALLIANCE vision

New leadership are committed to delivering the ALLIANCE vision.

The heralding of a new year invites the opportunity to pause and reflect – both to look back and to look forward. At the ALLIANCE, the transition to a new leadership structure offers further reason to take stock and set intentions for the year ahead. It is with great pleasure that Susan Young and I are able to step up into the roles of joint Chief Officers at the ALLIANCE. With 20 years of experience with the organisation between us, we are well positioned to take on these roles endorsed by the Board.

The ALLIANCE is a highly connected, adaptive and creative intermediary organisation with a mission to drive and sustain social change across health and social care in partnership with our members and with people with lived experiences. The change is towards a system and culture that creates the conditions which generate health and wellbeing and which lead to people being able to realise their rights and live good lives

Change is often met with feelings of wariness, confusion and concern. The last two years provide many reasons for this to be the case. Yet, for an organisation such as the ALLIANCE, working with complex change is something we have become skilled at, and we will continue to do so with integrity and creativity.

The change that we are trying to bring about must also be modelled, which is why the ALLIANCE will continue in our commitment to developing supportive approaches, practice and systems that meaningfully involve people with lived experience in decision making. Our newly established community of practice – lived experience – will be central to this, as will our Sensory Hub and the range of our partnership programmes on heart disease, respiratory conditions, diabetes, mental health, chronic pain, digital and the National Care Service amongst other work.

It is also why our Links Worker programme is committed to developing a links approach – modelling the importance of trauma informed practice and working collaboratively to embed the role of the third sector within primary care.

The change must also be founded on an understanding of the need to cultivate the conditions for growth. There is a psychological dimension of living in such complex and uncertain times. The ALLIANCE will continue to ensure that our work is underpinned by our commitment to transformation based upon the principles of human rights, self management, independent living and wellbeing.

The Living Well programme, in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation and ALLIANCE members, will contribute to the evidence base into how to embed wellbeing into organisational systems and cultures. The Carers’ Voices Programme is committed to embedding a culture of intelligent kindness across the health and social care workforce.

The ALLIANCE is committed to supporting the work being undertaken in Scotland to ensure that an equalities and human rights based approach is embedded across our policy making, institutions and public services. Contributing to this policy context and to developing human rights based practice will continue to be a priority and its importance ever more in focus with the proposals by the UK Government to revise and replace the Human Rights Act.

ALLIANCE members and strong partnership working is integral to our way of working – we need to continue to find ways to bridge polarities and celebrate diversity because solidarity matters and will sustain us.

I look forward to continuing to work with our staff and membership to achieve our vision for a Scotland where people of all ages who are disabled or living with long term conditions, and unpaid carers, have a strong voice and enjoy their right to live well, as equal and active citizens, free from discrimination, with support and services that put them at the centre.

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