BEST MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT SINCE COVID-19 (UP TO 4,000 MEMBERS)
Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers
Founded in 1978, the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) are the leading source of knowledge on short-term letting and holiday homes in Scotland and are the only trade body representing the interests of the traditional self-catering sector.
The ASSC’s purpose is ‘to represent and promote the interests of all self-catering accommodation businesses in Scotland’. Our vision is to place our members at the forefront of a professional, vibrant and prosperous Scottish self-catering sector.
Throughout the pandemic, the ASSC has fought the corner of its members, kept them informed of unfolding developments, and engaged with leading tourism stakeholders, MSPs and the Scottish Government to ensure the best outcome possible for our sector.
Communication was critical during the pandemic. The ASSC team of 3 worked tirelessly to ensure that the self-catering sector could access the most up to date information concisely in one place via the ASSC. We let businesses know about any financial support available, new regulations and advice on re-opening. We continue to distribute updates almost daily.
British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology
To support our members in developing a robust strategy to allow for the continuation of provision of services to their patients the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology developed a number of vital resources. Key Constraints for ALLERGY Service Provision document which looks at % in the reduction of healthcare professionals due to COVID and what modifications should take place to services. This was the same for Immunological services and paediatric allergy services also.
BSACI set up a Rapid Vaccine Response Group (RVRG) of experts to provide guidance to our members, and a range of stakeholders including Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and MHRA.
During the early vaccine MHRA issued a statement that the NHS should not give the Covid vaccine to those with anaphylaxis to vaccines, drugs or food. This caused concern amongst patients and our members. BSACI wrote to CMO to advise them of the small risk of anaphylaxis with Pfizer/ BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Following advice from BSACI members and the BSACI Rapid Vaccine Response Group the MHRA issued new advice and is no longer advising that individuals with a history of anaphylaxis to any vaccine, medicine or food do not get the vaccine.
Independent Healthcare Providers Network
The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) has led the independent health sector’s response to Covid-19. This included leading negotiations on putting the entirety of the private hospital sector at the disposal of the NHS at the height of the pandemic on at ‘at-cost’ basis and updating those arrangements throughout the last two years to maintain support to the NHS. IHPN has ensured that independent providers could play a full part in ensuring essential services were maintained despite Covid pressures and that independent providers are now well positioned to support health service recovery over the years ahead.
National Care Forum
NCF played a pivotal role in supporting care providers, both its membership and in the wider adult social care sector during the pandemic by:
• Alerting and advising members to new government guidance and what it meant in terms of practice
• Advocacy and support around access to PPE, Covid testing, workforce, funding and the disconnect between local and national guidance
• It was at the forefront in the campaign to make visiting within care settings a default in care homes
The impact of its work saw over 3,000 people attend weekly Covid-19 member calls, run a series of cross sector forums, webinars and workshops, saw over 5,000 pieces of media coverage and worked with partner organisations from multiple disciplines to influence policy and understanding on the impact of Covid-19 in the social care sector NCF continues to strengthen its voice, influence the government agenda on social care reform and bring a stronger understanding of the inherent interconnections between care, health and housing, particularly through Integrated Care Systems Paramount to this is support to members to navigate a future that enables them to hold true to their values whilst adhering to ongoing change, as we learn to live with Covid-19.
Scotland’s Electrical Trade Association – SELECT
As a not-for-profit organisation, the sole purpose of SELECT is the welfare of its Members – and this shone through during the first 18 months of the pandemic and beyond. When the impact of COVID-19 hit home in early 2020, other organisations closed their doors and furloughed staff. However, we felt it was vital to let our Members know we were there when they needed us most. As Scotland’s largest construction trade association, we not only kept our doors open, we offered an enhanced range of vital services, utilising every platform to reach out and reassure Members that they weren’t alone.
From day one, our key priorities were:
– Supporting Members financially, emotionally and practically in every way possible
– Creating and cascading relevant information quickly and clearly
– Communicating regularly with government to represent Members’ needs
– Working with our fellow trade organisations to ensure a collaborative approach that benefitted as many people as possible.
With our help, Scotland’s electrical businesses navigated one of the most challenging periods in their history The resulting increase in membership showed that contractors recognised the value of an association that works tirelessly on its behalf and puts their needs first.
The Association of British Insurers – The ABI Member and Associate Member Programme
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) represents over 200 member companies from the UK’s insurance and long-term savings industry, including most household names and specialist providers. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been committed to support our members and have developed our membership benefits and services to increase engagement and value.
The ABI exceptionally supported its members since the start of the pandemic. For example, In March 2020, the Covid-19 Hub was launched for insurers and policyholders. The Hub provided clarity for consumers in such a difficult period and acted as a one-stop-shop for our members and associate members, regulators, and UK Government.
We also worked with our members to create the Covid-19 Support Fund, launched in May 2020. The Support Fund raised an astounding £104m to support charities and communities across the UK with 500,000 lives impacted. We helped support people living with dementia, gave unpaid carers the help they need, empowered people living with disabilities, helped create a mentally healthier UK, and supported those being domestically abused.
The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association
In early March 2020 the TBA had already been working to adapt to the threat of Covid-19 for the industry, members and the executive team. Embracing new technologies and adapting to home working ensured that the TBA team continued to function throughout the covid-19 restrictions, providing essential industry support and membership services.
The TBA identified the following priorities from the start of the first lockdown in 2020:
– Safe environments for the industry’s people
– Continuation of care for sector’s equines
– Continuation of the thoroughbred breeding season
– Tailored guidance and business support for thoroughbred breeders.
The TBA moved quickly to develop covid-secure protocols for the industry, demonstrating its responsibility to veterinary and government departments to bring about safe resumption of the thoroughbred breeding season in 2020 and its continuation in subsequent years. Surveys to monitor the impact of Covid on the industry also provided the TBA with evidence to assess strategies and any emerging challenges and opportunities.
Communication, technological and financial incentive scheme innovations combined to deliver a suite of solutions to address the industry’s key challenges, enabling the industry to continue operating and provide vital ongoing support to rural businesses and livelihoods.
