Department of Health and Social Care
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NHS Supports Patients to Manage their own Health

NHS Supports Patients to Manage their own Health

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 09 November 2009

The NHS is this week running the first national Self Care Week to raise awareness of the improvements everyone can make to their health by taking a more active role in their own health and wellbeing. Self Care Week will run from 9-15 November 2009.

All of our lives can be improved by taking better care of ourselves, whether by taking regular exercise or managing a long term health condition. Self Care Week aims to:

· Raise awareness of self care and how it can help everyone, not just those with long term and chronic conditions

· Encourage people to use the range of information and resources to help them to self care including the NHS Choices website

· Explain how care planning and new technology can assist people with self care

· Encourage patients with long term conditions to discuss a personal care plan with their GP or nurse

Encouraging patients to be involved in managing their own care does not mean they will receive less support from the NHS. One of the aims of Self Care Week is to raise awareness of Personalised Care Plans and to encourage everyone with a long term condition to discuss making a plan with their GP or nurse. This ensures patients have discussed what matters to them together with the support and services available to them and have a record of the decisions made about their care.

Health Minister Ann Keen said:

“As a nurse I’ve seen the difference it makes to patients’ wellbeing when they are well informed and involved in decisions about their care. I would encourage everyone who has a long term health condition to speak to their GP or nurse to make sure they have all the support they need and agree a Personalised Care Plan.

“Self Care Week isn’t just for people with health conditions. The NHS is holding events around the country with information on how to make lifestyle changes and help people take better care of themselves and families.”

Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, 11-time gold medal Paralympic champion said: "Having lived with Spina Bifida for most of my life, I know just how important it is to have the confidence, support and knowledge to manage a condition and not let it manage you.

"I hope that Self Care Week encourages people to take control of their health and wellbeing with the support of their healthcare professional and begin to self care. This is a real opportunity for patients, carers and healthcare professionals to focus on the important issue of self care for people living with a long term condition."

NHS Trusts around the country are holding events as part of Self Care Week to highlight the support available to patients all year round. Derbyshire County PCT has introduced Self Care diaries for people living with and affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure. These diaries help to support people in self monitoring, behaviour change and lifestyle modification aiming to help them live well with their conditions.

Charities including Men’s Health Forum are also involved in the week to educate people on the difference taking control of their own healthcare can make.

The Department of Health is committed to ensuring patients have the support and information they need to make decisions about their own healthcare. NHS Choices enables people to find out more about medical conditions, the kinds of treatment available and view patients’ feedback on their local health services. We are also moving services closer to patients with services such as home dialysis which allows kidney patients to administer treatment in their own home, reducing trips to hospital and improving their quality of life.

Notes to Editors

1. For further information, case studies and interviews contact the Department of Health Press Office on 020 7210 5221

2. There are currently over 15.4m people in England with a chronic or long term conditions (LTC). These are defined as conditions that cannot at present be cured but can be controlled through medication and or therapy. The most common of such conditions include asthma, stroke, diabetes, COPD, hypertension, mental health and respiratory problems.

3. The number of people with LTCs is predicted to rise over the next 10 years to around 18m with more people living with three or more LTCs.

4. It is important that people with LTCs have access to appropriate care at home or as near to home as possible as their conditions often do not need hospital interventions. The aim is to ensure people have more control over their own care to deliver a personalised NHS service.

5. The Department of Health’s guide to long term conditions and self care, ‘Your health, your way’, can also be found on the website and provides information and advice about the self care support available.

6. “High Quality Care for all”, the final report of the NHS Next Stage Review, re-stated the Government’s commitment that everyone with a long term condition will offered a personalised care plan by 2010. Truly personalised care for people with long term conditions requires a holistic approach, involving a multidisciplinary team of professionals, that puts the individual at the centre of their own care and focuses on supporting them to achieve the outcomes that they want for themselves such as remaining in, or returning to work.

Through implementing personalised care planning, people with long term conditions will be able to plan their care, have strategies in place to cope with any exacerbations of their condition and be in possession of all the relevant information they need to make decisions. They will be supported to self care, have more confidence and control over their condition and understand the impact it will have on their lives.

Contacts:

Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk

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