PEOPLE with diabetes or heart failure are being encouraged to sign up for a free personal health plan.The plan is in a paperback-size folder and contains useful entry pages for people to log their medical history and relevant information about their health needs.
PEOPLE with diabetes or heart failure are being encouraged to sign up for a free personal health plan.
The plan is in a paperback-size folder and contains useful entry pages for people to log their medical history and relevant information about their health needs.
The aim of the personal health plan, is so someone who has diabetes, heart failure or another long-term condition can take it with them when they go to see a healthcare professional or social services.
Head of pathway development and clinical engagement for NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney Linda Caine, said: “The PHP is a record - a kind of health passport - that is personal to a patient, and has details of their medical issues and priorities.
“Someone can take it with them wherever they go to tell clinicians and social care staff about the state of their wellbeing.
“We want patients to feel that they are in control of their own health and that professionals in the NHS and social care will listen to their views. These days the patient doesn't have to be passive and just get whatever care is handed to them.
“Healthcare in the 21st century is about shared responsibility and self-management, not the old-fashioned way of doing things.”
People who have diabetes and selected patients who have suffered heart failure will be invited by their GP to use the personal health plans when the project starts in December. It will be offered to all patients with long term conditions by March 2011.
The PHPs have been developed at NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney together with Dr Vince Forte, practice manager Julie Yaxley and the team at Central Surgery in Gorleston, to help support people with long term conditions.
Dr Forte said: “I really believe that this new tool will help people with long term conditions to get more out of their health services, plan their lives more easily, and get better health and well being all round.”
Ms Caine added: “There are about 100,000 people in our area with some kind of long term condition. Diabetes and heart failure account for a great number of those, so that is where we want to start.
“Many people wish to take more control of their medical condition and we hope the PHPs will enable them to do so.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here