The Self Management Fund for Scotland: supporting the development and evaluation of person led self management approaches across Scotland for ten years.

Self Management is now widely recognised by health and social care professionals as beneficial in supporting people’s management of long term health conditions and unpaid carers. Comments on transferability : As the health and social care landscape changes across Scotland, the role of self management becomes more prominent as an approach which fits with the aims of health and social care policy in Scotland and Self Management now features prominently in all major health and social care policy in Scotland. Conclusions : Health and social care partners value self management as a complimentary approach to their clinical support for the management of long term conditions and supporting unpaid carers. Discussions : The Self Management Fund has generated a wealth of learning and supports approaches which reaches and provides support to people living with long term conditions and their unpaid carers in a way which compliments support from statutory sector services. Lessons Learned : Implementation of self management approaches is not linear and approaches which work in one geographical area or community of interest may not be relevant for another. Involving people in the delivery of projects can pose challenges, especially with fluctuating conditions and unpaid carers, however approaches which do not involve people are less successful and do not have the same impact.

Introduction: The Self Management Fund was set up in 2009, distributing £2 million annually to third sector organisations in Scotland to research and develop person led activities which allow people to be in the 'driving seat' and live well with a long term condition or as an unpaid carer. Over ten years the Fund has supported 270 projects and over 150,000 people across Scotland.
A short description of practice change implemented: The Fund has provided grants for projects up to 5 years in length which involve people with long term conditions and their unpaid carers in the design, delivery and evaluation of all projects.
The Self Management Fund provides a range of additional support to encourage them to make most of their grants and effectively share their learning.
Learning gathered from the Fund is shared in a variety of ways, demonstrating the change in health and social care as a result of investing in person led self management approaches.
Aim and theory of change: Investing in third sector organisations with the expertise and knowledge of their communities to undertake person led action research, scoping and development activities will support people with long term conditions and their unpaid carers in Scotland to live well.
Targeted population and stakeholders: People living in Scotland with one or more long term conditions and their unpaid carers through investing in third sector organisations working with this population.
Timeline: The Self Management Fund first distributed funds since 2009.

Highlights (innovation, impact and outcomes): Over ten years common themes have emerged including:
The value of peer support The power of personal experience in developing effective approaches to benefit a wide range of people The role of partnerships in creating effective, sustainable self management approaches Comments on sustainability Goodlad; The Self Management Fund for Scotland: supporting the development and evaluation of person led self management approaches across Scotland for ten years.
Self Management is now widely recognised by health and social care professionals as beneficial in supporting people's management of long term health conditions and unpaid carers.

Comments on transferability:
As the health and social care landscape changes across Scotland, the role of self management becomes more prominent as an approach which fits with the aims of health and social care policy in Scotland and Self Management now features prominently in all major health and social care policy in Scotland.

Conclusions:
Health and social care partners value self management as a complimentary approach to their clinical support for the management of long term conditions and supporting unpaid carers.
Discussions: The Self Management Fund has generated a wealth of learning and supports approaches which reaches and provides support to people living with long term conditions and their unpaid carers in a way which compliments support from statutory sector services. Lessons Learned: Implementation of self management approaches is not linear and approaches which work in one geographical area or community of interest may not be relevant for another. Involving people in the delivery of projects can pose challenges, especially with fluctuating conditions and unpaid carers, however approaches which do not involve people are less successful and do not have the same impact.