Scotland Performs Update

National Outcome: We live longer, healthier lives

Scottish Association for Mental Health’s ( SAMH)
‘Active Living Becomes Achievable’ ( ALBA) Programme

Background

• The ‘Active Living Becomes Achievable’ ( ALBA) Programme, a collaboration between the Scottish Government and mental health charity SAMH, builds on the well-established links between physical activity and improved mental wellbeing.
• To encourage people with mental health problems to become more physically active, participants are initially offered interventions to build up their resilience and self-esteem, followed by a tailored 12 week programme of physical activity, designed around the person’s interests, abilities and level of fitness.
• The delivery of the ALBA programme is a specific action in the Mental Health Strategy 2017-27 (Action 31).

Budget

• £992,000 over three years until 2019.

Achievements

• Service level agreements have been set up with Leisure Trusts in Fife, North Ayrshire and West Lothian. All three leisure trusts have now started recruitment to the ALBA programme.
• Referrals are being received by local SAMH staff, with a key worker identified to contact and work with the individual. Individuals will be referred in cohorts. The target number of referrals in the first cohort for each area is 20. Overall, SAMH aims to work with 336 people on the ALBA intervention across the three intervention areas.
• Staff have been recruited to coordinate and support the delivery of the ALBA programme. To deliver the behaviour change intervention, six Behaviour Change Practitioners ( BCPs) are being recruited.
• Data on uptake and adherence is being collected via smart technology, and the programme is subject to a PhD at Napier University which will measure the impact of the intervention on physical activity levels and behaviour.
• As the programme moves forward there will be data available about the benefits it has had on participants.

Key partners

• SAMH
• Fife Leisure Trust
• North Ayrshire Leisure Trust
• West Lothian Leisure Trust.

Delivery

• SAMH have developed the programme in conjunction with the Scottish Government and are responsible for implementing and delivering it.
• The role of other partners, including the three leisure trusts and the PhD student, will be crucial to ensuring the success of the project.

Contribution to National Outcomes

• The ALBA programme contributes to the vision and aspirations of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-21 (Action 31).
• Over the 10 years of the Strategy, the Scottish Government will work on achieving parity between physical and mental health—and enabling people with mental health problems to become more physically active is a key part of this.

The project contributes towards other National Outcomes, such as:

• We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society.