Each year the ALLIANCE host the Self Management Awards which celebrate examples of good practice and promote a range of innovative self management activity happening across Scotland.
This year the award ceremony was held digitally for the first time ever, hosted by Pennie Taylor, with an opening address from the Awards sponsor Alex Neil and main address from Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director, who announced that the next round of the Self Management Fund, administered by the ALLIANCE on behalf of the Scottish Government, will be opening for applications on the 26 October.
Professor Ian Welsh OBE, Chief Executive of the ALLIANCE, says this support will address some of the disadvantages presented by the pandemic:
“We recognise that many communities within Scotland have been additionally impacted and disadvantaged by both the pandemic and restrictions and that organisations such as the ALLIANCE, our partners and our members have a critical role to play in shining a light on these structural inequalities and working to identify the solutions or changes that need to happen. This year’s Self Management Fund will focus on these changes at the opportune moment to take the “build back better” approach embedded across all sectors.”
There were so many fantastic nominees for the awards this year, with an incredible shortlist showing the agility and resilience of the third sector.
We are delighted to announce that the winners of the Self Management Awards 2020 are as follows:
Self Management Resource of the Year
Crohn’s & Colitis Flare Card
A collaboration between Crohn`s & Colitis UK, Scottish Government, NHS Borders, NHS Lothian and NHS Grampian, the flare an innovative resource to support self management and enable a person-centred approach to living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). It helps patients recognise flare symptoms, signposts them to appropriate support, and reduces demand for emergency care. The team are being nominated because of the way in which they collaborated and engaged together with patients to produce the flare card. It will be integral to empowering patients to take an active role in their care by giving them the information, skills and confidence to self-manage and live as well as possible.
Self Management Champion of the Year
Allan Houston
Allan is a Senior Addictions Worker who promotes self management, and mindfulness in particular, as an approach to recovery from problem substance use. The innovative men’s mindfulness group he set up is credited by many of its members as being crucial to their recovery, helping them deal with addictive feelings and ultimately to avoid relapse. Allan works with hundreds of people a year to guide them through their treatment and recovery programmes. Allan also focuses on fostering of good relationships among peers as key to success. Allan’s work here is absolutely crucial in integrating new people into the recovery community so that they can be best supported by those around them who have their own experiences of problem substance use.
Individual Transformational Story of the Year in partnership with Humans of Scotland
Lindsay Steven
After a long struggle with his health Lindsay’s progress from “surviving to thriving” started with a referral to an intensive five week course run by Pain Association Scotland (this link will take you away from our website). The support and ideas gained from the course has led to a commitment to self management which he feels has given him his life back. He now plays a pivotal role in the monthly self management support, supporting people individually outside of the group, setting up a supportive messenger group and a very popular twice month lunch group described as a lifeline for many. Not only has Lindsay got his life back from a terrible set of debilitating health challenges, he has gone on to share his wisdom and provide support to a wide range of people with chronic pain.
Self Management Employability Award in partnership with SUSE
Allstars Community Café
Established by Firpark Secondary School and North Lanarkshire Council Supported Employment Team, the café provides 5th and 6th year pupils with support from job coaches and training to run a community café one day a week (this link will take you away from our website). Pupils have gone from requiring support to butter bread to being able to make a tuna mayonnaise sandwich from scratch and are now making meals for their family at home. People in the community and partner staff from the café and local supermarket have gained a much greater understanding of disability as a whole, as well as an important community resource of quality food at low prices. Even all surplus food at the end of the day is taken to the local homeless unit.
Self Management Digital Innovator Award in partnership with Discover Digital
PAMIS Digital Passport
The idea for this innovative and supportive piece of work came from a PAMIS family carer who suggested the use of digital technology and a multimedia approach (this link will take you away from our website) to transform the communication of complex information to unfamiliar carers, and help people who have profound learning disabilities to speak for themselves. The passport holds information about family and friends, an individuals care needs, their hopes and ambitions, familiarising carers with the person on their own terms. It is owned by the individual with PMLD and offered to support their own care and inclusion to those around them.
Self Management in the Community Award
Anam Cara
Anam Cara (this link will take you away from our website) have been delivering self management workshops to women experiencing poor emotional well-being for over two years in Midlothian and East Lothian. Anam Cara’s aim is to connect not only with the women who will benefit from their service but also make strong connections with other services in the community that serve women and their well-being. When lockdown hit, services were moved online enabling women to continue to feel supported either one-to-one or through befriending. The service is constantly developing, bringing interaction through social media, revisiting techniques with video presentations encouraging creative challenges and supporting by sharing stories during lockdown which enabled women to continue to feel supported at various levels, either one to one or befriending support.
Self Management Project of the Year
Joint Potential, Versus Arthritis
Joint Potential (this link will take you away from our website) is a self management and personal development project designed to establish a sustainable and integrated pathway for young people (aged 16-25), with a form of arthritis or related condition. By being integrated within rheumatology teams, the project ensures that self management is on the agenda from the start of each appointment. There are five key elements: Sessions for young people and their families/carers in Rheumatology units, information sessions for health professionals about Joint Potential, self management and personal development workshops, and a peer support network. Moving from face to face to digital during COVID– 19 has had its challenges but the commitment to self management is still at the forefront. Support to self manage has been even more critical while the young people have been shielding. By developing a virtual programme, we have enabled the young people to continue to self manage and access the peer support they need.