About the ALLIANCE
The ALLIANCE has a strong track record of supporting and amplifying the voice of lived experience.
As an independent Scottish charity, the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) works with its 2,200 plus members towards the vision of:
A Scotland where people 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 with support and services that put them at the centre.
The ALLIANCE does this through three core aims; we seek to:
- ensure people are at the centre, that their voices, expertise and rights drive policy and sit at the heart of design, delivery and improvement of support and services;
- support transformational change, towards approaches that are preventative and that work with individual and community assets, supporting human rights, self management, co-production and independent living;
- champion and support the third sector as a vital strategic and delivery partner and foster better cross-sector understanding and partnership.
The ALLIANCE has experience of supporting people to have their voices heard at a high level. Recent work includes:
- working with people with neurological conditions to contribute to a national action plan for neurology;
- hearing peoples’ concerns around the new GP contract;
- collecting views for an ALLIANCE response to the Scottish Government Engagement Plan.
In 2018, the Health and Social Care Academy (the Academy), an ALLIANCE programme, published a report that is the culmination of a series of engagement events with people affected by suicide. The aim of this work was to move towards the co-production of a national Action Plan on Suicide Prevention. The Academy subsequently responded to a consultation on the draft Action Plan, calling for an ambitious strategy of support, co-production and engagement.
Most recently an event was held to discuss the Open Dialogue approach to mental health support. One of the speakers, Maggie Clark, wrote a blog about this approach.
Read the Academy’s suicide prevention action plan report
Read the Academy’s response to the draft suicide prevention action plan consultation