IFIC Scotland’s country wide network operates to: Connect, Empower, Inform, Inspire and Enable our reference network partners in Scotland through collaboration with IFICs global community. This year we welcomed new academic partners from the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stirling as well as the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care. As we enhance our portfolio on social care, we were delighted to welcome representation from Social Work Scotland.
Here are a few highlights from our work in 2024.
Connect
We shared international examples of integrated practice with people from 31 countries who registered for the seven webinars we hosted. We also organised online forums and conference workshops for the seven IFIC special interest groups (SIGs) we coordinate. This year our small island systems SIG evolved to include rural and remote systems, launched through a special issue in the Journal of Integrated Care. The Intermediate Care SIG established a new topic on Community Hospitals, featuring examples from Italy, Sweden and Japan in partnership with the UK Community Hospitals Association. We welcomed study visitors to Scotland from Malta, Canada, Japan and the US and are planning to host a team from Italy next year in partnership with Bocconni University.
Empower
Inform
Our virtual roundtables and blogs continue to champion the value of insights from third sector partners and experts by experience. In partnership with the ALLIANCE Academy, we launched a new series of webinars to explore these insights on the five-ambitions for the Future of Health and Social Care.
Our team published six new peer reviewed papers as well as a literature review and qualitative research on commissioning, in partnership with the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland. Following a scoping review on culture and leadership for integration by Prof Stephen Gibb, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), we co-hosted a research and practice convention with the Scottish Government’s National Care Service workforce unit. The report is coming soon.
Inspire
We were delighted to join with IFIC Ireland, IFIC Canada and the Bevan Commission in Wales to host four virtual Roundtables, sharing insights across our countries. We also contributed to educational events in Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Malta, Canada, Brazil and to an online event for Indian Ocean island states. IFICs spring conference in Belfast was a great source of inspiration, networking and celebrating!
Anne was humbled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award – taking one for the team!
A small but mighty team Scotland was hugely inspired at IFICs North American conference where it was a privilege to witness fantastic contributions from patients and carers. Both conferences have inspired us to plan our own learning event in 2025, the 10th anniversary of integrating health and social care in Scotland. Watch this space….
Enable
Once again, IFIC Scotland partners provided cross sector support for IFICs online certificate, summer school and for postgraduate programmes on integrated care led by Helen Rainey, UWS. We are delighted that Helen’s team has just secured a British Council grant to develop transnational education with colleagues from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This builds on our links with PAHO and the InterAmerican Development Bank in Brazil (pictured).
We continued our Transforming Together partnership with Malta’s Ministry of Health and Active Ageing and are delighted to see new ways of working and new pathways emerging already.
Finally, a shout out for two special IFIC Scotland colleagues. Mandy Andrew has now moved on to work with the University of Birmingham IMPACT team. We wish Mandy well and thank her for her fantastic support from 2017. Alison Bunce, Director of Compassionate Inverclyde, and lead for our Compassionate Communities SIG, was recognised in the UK New Year honours awards. A flying start to a milestone year for integrated care in Scotland.
View our collaborative work and resources at: IFIC Scotland Landing Page
Marie Curran
IFIC Scotland