The Department of Health is launching an information booklet and resource pack for healthcare professionals to support them to raise awareness of the benefits of self care to the 15.4 million people living with a long term condition in England.
The measure is one of the first steps in raising awareness amongst healthcare professionals of ‘Your health, your way – a guide to long term conditions and self care’, which was launched on NHS Choices in November 2009 and which is part of the Department’s commitment to offer a personalised care plan to everyone with a long term condition, by 2010.
The information booklet includes:
The five key areas of self care support are:
The importance of engaging people to self care in order to better manage their long term condition is further highlighted by research conducted by MORI. This revealed that only half (53%) of those surveyed took an active role in taking care of their condition ‘all of the time’, of these 51% stated that they felt comfortable in doing so.
Two-thirds of those surveyed had also approached their GP, practice nurse or pharmacist within a six-month period seeking self care advice and information, reinforcing the need for a more personalised approach to care.
Personalised care planning and support to self care will help ensure that everyone with a LTC takes greater control of their health and well-being with the support and advice from regular meetings with a healthcare professional on the following:
Patient benefits could include increased mobility and independence, reduced disability, slowing disease progression and reducing the need for hospital admissions and costs to the NHS.
The measure is one of the first steps in raising awareness amongst healthcare professionals of ‘Your health, your way – a guide to long term conditions and self care’, which was launched on NHS Choices in November 2009 and which is part of the Department’s commitment to offer a personalised care plan to everyone with a long term condition, by 2010.
The information booklet includes:
- The aims of ‘Your health, your way – a guide to long term conditions and self care’
- The importance and value of self care for those with LTCs
- How supporting self care can improve the quality of people’s lives
- Different approaches to self care support
The five key areas of self care support are:
- Information including an overview of Information Prescriptions for people with LTCs
- Healthy Lifestyle advice
- Skills and knowledge training for people with LTCs
- Tools and self-monitoring devices for people with LTCs
- Information relating to community and voluntary groups and networks for people with LTCs
The importance of engaging people to self care in order to better manage their long term condition is further highlighted by research conducted by MORI. This revealed that only half (53%) of those surveyed took an active role in taking care of their condition ‘all of the time’, of these 51% stated that they felt comfortable in doing so.
Two-thirds of those surveyed had also approached their GP, practice nurse or pharmacist within a six-month period seeking self care advice and information, reinforcing the need for a more personalised approach to care.
Personalised care planning and support to self care will help ensure that everyone with a LTC takes greater control of their health and well-being with the support and advice from regular meetings with a healthcare professional on the following:
- Information about their condition, how and when they want it delivered
- Health and lifestyle advice to support healthy living (smoking, diet, exercise etc)
- Opportunities to learn skills and gain confidence
- Access and signposting to self help and support networks
- Advice on techniques and equipment to help manage their long term condition
Patient benefits could include increased mobility and independence, reduced disability, slowing disease progression and reducing the need for hospital admissions and costs to the NHS.
An organ with the ability to make and secrete certain fluids.
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A large abdominal organ that has many important roles including the production of bile and clotting factors, detoxification, and the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
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