Power, Partnership and Perseverance: creating better health together
When people tell us about their experience of living with a chest, heart and stroke conditions and Long Covid. they rarely talk about one service or one appointment. They talk about the people who listened, the support that was there when they needed it and the connections that helped them move forward.
The theme, Power, Partnership and Perseverance, feels particularly relevant at a time when health and care services are under pressure, health inequalities remain stubbornly persistent and no single organisation has all the answers. That’s one of the reasons we’re looking forward to this year’s VHS Conference – to promote our whole systems approach to reducing health inequalities.
Much of our work involves bringing people and organisations together. We work alongside NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, local authorities, community groups and third-sector organisations to make sure people can access support that helps them live well with chest, heart and stroke conditions and Long Covid.
The best solutions and opportunities often come from those connections. A conversation at a meeting leads to a new referral pathway and reaching more people who need us. A relationship between organisations creates a new support option in a community. These things can seem small, but together they make a real difference.
Equally as important are the relationships we have with people who have lived experience.
The people who use our services continually remind us what matters most to them. They tell us where systems work well, where they create barriers and what support makes the biggest difference in everyday life. Their voices shape how we develop services and influence where we focus our efforts.
You can see this clearly in our Supported Self Management and Community Healthcare Support services. Time and again, people tell us that having the right support, information and encouragement helps them regain confidence and feel more in control after a life-changing diagnosis or event. Often, what makes the biggest difference is not a service in isolation, but feeling connected to people who understand their experience and can help them take the next step.
For us, that’s where the theme of power comes to life. Not power held by organisations, but power shared with people and communities. When people have the confidence and support to make decisions about their own health and wellbeing, better outcomes often follow.
And then there’s perseverance. Anyone working to tackle health inequalities knows there are no quick fixes. Building trust, developing partnerships and creating lasting change takes time. Progress is often gradual, but it is made possible by organisations and communities continuing to show up and work together.
I am looking forward to joining colleagues from across Scotland at the VHS Conference and exploring how we can work together to tackle health inequalities, improve population health and strengthen support within communities.
Because lasting change happens when power is shared, partnerships are valued and people with lived experience are at the centre of shaping solutions.
Written by: Cat Thomson, Head of External Engagement, Peer and Participation
