Highlights, reflections and looking to the future
- Written by: Tommy Whitelaw — Project Lead
- Published: 16th December 2019
As we come to the end of the year, Tommy takes a look back at some of the project's highlights.
This year has marked a turning point for the Dementia Carer Voices project. From January 2020, the project will be called Carer Voices and reflect our commitment to widening our impact and highlighting the voices and lived experience of all carers.
As we near the end of 2019, on behalf of the Dementia Carer Voices team, I would like to both reflect on what we have achieved thus far and send a massive thank you to everyone we have met this year.
Many of our highlights this year continue to be a reflection of people coming together to celebrate caring and sharing what matters to them in aims of creating a kinder and more compassionate community of care.
Through our ‘You Can Make A Difference’ campaign, we have now:
- Reached an incredible 200,00 people comprising of health and social care professionals and students alike;
- Delivered 950 talks centred on ‘Intelligent kindness’ and the ‘What matters to you’ movement;
- Gathered 28,000 ‘What matters to you?’ pledges from health and social care professionals;
- Launched countless #WMTY pledge trees across hospitals, universities, colleges, care homes and HSC Partnerships Scotland-wide.
We have built stronger relationships with Glasgow City Health and Social Partnership, having delivered over 40 improvement sessions on ‘Intelligent kindness’ and the ‘What matters to you’ movement to approximately 1,000 members of staff. We even had the opportunity to travel 4,119 miles to the sunshine state of Florida to share both our work and this message more widely at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care. And this work will continue and further extend as our project transitions from ‘Dementia Carer Voices’ to ‘Carer Voices.’
Above all, we have celebrated the passion, commitment and hard work of caring. A personal highlight for me remains our Concert for Caring at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow where we were able to bring together 1500 people to pay tribute to Scotland’s 759,000 carers. Another highlight was celebrating the 10-year Anniversary of the Charter of Rights for People with Dementia and their Carers in Scotland with colleague, Irene Oldfather and partners at the Scottish Parliament.
We have been fortunate to have met so many remarkable people and to have heard their caring and love stories – these people have equally made an impact on us as we have to them. We look forward to meeting more people and hearing more stories throughout 2020 and beyond.
And this is because, in the last year, we have grown more confidence in our belief that how we care and show value for one another and our stories really matters. As we approach 2020, we look forward to working in partnership with all who care for others to keep this message at the centre of all of our future work.
Stay tuned for further updates in January 2020!
End of page.
You may also like:
Isabella Goldie of Deafblind Scotland reflects on the value of partnership work.
Continue readingFind out more about the inaugural Power of Attorney Day taking place on 22 April 2026.
Continue readingDr Hannah Tweed reflects on 20 years of the Scottish Sensory Hub, the important work they do and why it matters.
Continue readingAs part of our 20 year anniversary, Kerry shares her reflections on how far the ALLIANCE has come, our achievements, and our impact.
Continue readingIn her latest TFN column, our Chief Officer Sara Redmond reflects on 20 years since Scotland moved to put children at the centre of policy.
Continue readingCancer care in Scotland is at a critical moment. Macmillan is calling for urgent action ahead of the parliamentary elections in May
Continue readingMhairi Campbell reflects on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) not being recognised as having a severe impact on life.
Continue readingLucy Mulvagh shares how she used the Centre for Public Policy Practice Fellowship to examine prevention and its barriers to implementation
Continue readingLaura from Perth and Kinross HSCP shares how we can celebrate World Social Work Day through the lens of 'What Matters To You?'.
Continue readingReflections on the Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education) Bill
Continue readingLouise Hall from Pain Association Scotland reflects on the event she delivered as part of Self Management Week 2025.
Continue readingAct Now for Autistic Rights calls for a transformative Bill for autistic and neurodiverse communities
Continue readingIn the next decade, the role of digital in health and social care must embed our digital human rights principles to reduce inequalities.
Continue readingRead some reflections from ALLIANCE colleagues, who had the opportunity to sponsor and attend Scotland's Annual Human Rights Conference.
Continue reading“Our Collective Voice” is a hopeful vision for the next five years, and I encourage ALLIANCE members to bring it into their own campaigns.
Continue readingBy standing together, we can help ensure that everyone in Scotland has access to the compassionate, high quality palliative care.
Continue readingALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub Manager Dr Hannah Tweed reflects on the launch of the BSL network for public bodies.
Continue readingSimone Janse van Rensburg reflects on the impact of their Women Living Well event which featured as part of Self Management Week 2025.
Continue readingThe ALLIANCE’s Women’s Health Lived Experience Group reflect on their input to Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan.
Continue readingWellbeing Scotland’s Chief Clinical Officer Ashleigh Ronald highlights why we must shift stigmatising narratives around child abuse.
Continue readingAs we mark twenty years of the ALLIANCE, Person Centred Voices continues to show the power of listening, kindness and connection.
Continue readingThe ALLIANCE’s Women’s Health Lived Experience Group reflect on their input to Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan.
Continue readingThe ALLIANCE’s Women’s Health Lived Experience Group reflect on their input to Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan.
Continue readingThe ALLIANCE’s Women’s Health Lived Experience Group reflect on their input to Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan.
Continue readingThe ALLIANCE’s Women’s Health Lived Experience Group reflect on their input to Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan.
Continue reading