These are bewildering times for the millions of people who depend daily on social care services and the NHS. The threat of strikes, declarations of imminent collapses of both services and the continual shifts in what people are or aren’t entitled to – it's no wonder that people are confused.
Self Care Forum Board Member, Renata Drinkwater asks “what are you doing for Self Care Week?”
“We are seeing rising demand for services, underperformance against targets and record financial deficits in the NHS. Now is the time for the system to get serious about self care, and the Self Care Forum can help,” says Renata.
Three years ago, the MS Society launched the results of the first ‘My MS My Needs survey’ which uncovered a lottery of MS treatment care and support across the UK. This year they conducted the second survey to see if this lottery of treatment and care remains. As the largest collection of patient-reported data for MS in the UK, it provides an unparalleled insight into the treatment, care and support of people with MS.
The Six principles for engaging people and communities set out how local areas can work towards this holistic model, by developing truly person-centred, community-focused care. They show how engagement is important at every level, from the individual to the community level, and provide both a strategic vision and practical steps for achieving this.
The Richmond Group of Charities want the NHS, and the research and care organisations that support it, to be able to use health and social care data to understand people’s conditions, experiences and needs. This insight can, and should, be used to make sure that people receive the best possible care and support.
But we also believe that this should only be done with the highest standards of governance and safeguards and in a way that respects an individual’s decisions about whether and how they want their data shared.
In the UK – as in almost all regions of the world – most deaths are caused by chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic lung disease take a heavy toll on individuals, families and economies, and the terrible tragedy behind the numbers is that many of these deaths – in the UK, 250,000 over a decade – could be prevented or delayed by tackling physical inactivity, poor diet, smoking and alcohol use.
