Jane Miller, Academy Programme Manager at the ALLIANCE, speaks to Lucy Chetty, Head of Learning at Sight Scotland, for the first entry in the Courageous Leadership series.

Courageous Leadership is a an ALLIANCE initiative profiling leadership in health and social care across Scotland. The series, part of the ALLIANCE’s Health and Social Care Academy programme, asks what Courageous Leadership means, delves into what makes great leadership and looks at the journeys toward becoming a leader. 

The series not only profiles Chief Executive and others in traditional leadership positions, it speaks to leaders at all levels to reflect a breadth of leadership styles. The aim of the project is to raise the profile of leadership in health and social care across Scotland to inspire, spark discussion and share information on leadership styles.

Nature based health activities are viewed as being potentially transformative for people, as they are known to have a positive impact on people’s mental and physical health. Spending time in nature has been known to reduce anxiety, boost self-confidence and support social connections.

This podcast explores the link between nature and wellbeing, what work is happening across Scotland, who is doing it and what's needed in the future.

The Scottish Government have promised to implement a social security system that is based on values of dignity, fairness and respect.

In this ALLIANCE Live interview, our Chief Officer of Development Sara Redmond speaks to Minister for Social Security and Local Government, Ben Macpherson about how Scotland's new devolved powers around social security are progressing. The Minister also discusses how the Scottish Government plans to address gaps in the uptake of Carers Assistance for women, who make up the largest percentage of unpaid carers, and minority groups.

Any individuals who would like to receive more information on social security can visit the Scottish Government website www.socialsecurity.gov.scot or follow @ScotGovFairer for regular updates.

Many have noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on a ‘crisis of play’ among children and young people, with serious impact on their wellbeing. However, many organisations have adapted to the circumstances, and continue supporting play activities despite ongoing restrictions. This ALLIANCE Live podcast episode, recorded as part of the ALLIANCE Digital Gathering 2022, showcases some of the work in the third sector that is being carried out to promote play, both in policy and practice, to ensure that children and young people can be supported to achieve the best outcomes in life. We spoke to Marguerite Hunter Blair, Chief Executive of Play Scotland, on the role of play in children’s policy making. We also spoke to representatives of Children’s Health Scotland and Guide Dogs Scotland, on ongoing projects that incorporate play to children’s lives, both in a virtual and in-person setting, particularly looking at how play supports children and young people living with long term conditions or that have sensory loss.

Useful resources from Play Scotland: 

Play Scotland landing page

Play Well Outdoors Pack & Evaluation Report

Progress Review of Scotland’s Play Strategy

Useful resources from Children's Health Scotland: 

Children's Health Scotland landing page

Children's Health Scotland Children and Young People Services

Self-Management Service Interest & Referral Forms

Useful resources from Guide Dogs Scotland: 

Guide Dogs landing page

Guide Dogs Nursery Rhyme Song Book

Learning Through Play

Carmen Paputa-Dutu, the Digital Health and Care National Lead for the ALLIANCE, speaks to Professor Colin Espie, founder of Big Health and Professor of Sleep Medicine at the University of Oxford, about Sleepio and Daylight. 

Sleepio (designed to support those suffering with insomnia) and Daylight (created to support those facing anxiety) are two apps that NHS Scotland will be offering free of charge for people in Scotland, making it the first country in the world to offer digital therapeutics for anxiety and insomnia nationally. 

Professor Espie is one of the world’s leading experts on sleep and mental health, and he’s currently shedding an urgent light on the connection between lack of sleep/ insomnia issues and the mental health problems the UK currently faces.

Listen to all 34 stories included in the second published collection of Humans of Scotland stories from the ALLIANCE, capturing the experiences of disabled people, people living with long term conditions and unpaid carers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collection also features stories from NHS staff and health and social care teams in Scotland's third sector. 

Serving as a councillor before she was elected MSP, Karen Adam shared some of her varied experiences with care and as a carer, including as a single mother of neurodiverse children and growing up learning British Sign Language (BSL) to interpret for her Deaf father. She also spoke about her desire to see greater representation of and engagement with lived experience throughout legislative and decision-making processes.

Pam Duncan-Glancy made history this year as the first permanent wheelchair user to be elected to the Scottish Parliament. A Labour MSP for Glasgow, Pam spoke about the barriers put in her way to accessing education, the importance of having disabled people elected to parliament, and hopes for transformational change in both social care and social security.

Gillian Mackay was recently elected as the first ever Green MSP for the Central Scotland region, and is her party's Spokesperson for Health and Social Care. In the interview, Gillian talks about her grandpa's experiences with social care and her own route into politics by way of Ménière's disease and an Inclusion Scotland internship. Listeners will also hear about Gillian's hopes for a national care service - and for getting a Wookie into parliament!

Last summer the Scottish Recovery Network began an extensive research project to explore how peer support services from across Scotland had adapted to moving digital during Covid-19.

The Meaningful connections report utilises the knowledge and expertise of 170 services and 110 participant’s lived experience to highlight the benefits and challenges of taking peer support into the digital space.

In this ALLIANCE Live podcast, Lesley Smith, Network Officer from Scottish Recovery Network is joined by two participants involved in the research. Hayley Chandler, Development Worker for Edinburgh's Peer Community and Emma Morrow, Peer Support Lead at Bipolar Scotland.