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