Empowering Change: A Vision for Supported Self Care
Please find a copy of the report here.
With an estimated 3.8 million patients presenting with wounds in the UK, at an annual cost to the NHS of £8.3 billion, chronic lower limb wounds are significantly contributing to the existing pressures on the health and care system.
Care management for lower limb wounds must be transformed to deliver a higher quality and more sustainable service that reduces the burden on the system, improves clinical outcomes, and reduces the variation in care.
If implemented fully across the country, supported self care has the potential to deliver benefits for patients, clinicians, and the NHS. Giving patients support to care for themselves provides better outcomes and allows them to rely less on their health care providers and their schedules; clinicians are given more time to care for patients with more severe wound-care needs; and there can be financial savings through quicker healing of wounds, less need for clinical intervention, and savings for patients through needing fewer journeys to see clinicians.
In the report, the APPG calls on the Government to support and champion the National Wound Care Strategy Programme’s (NWCSP) lower limb implementation proposals and to include in clinical experiential education a greater focus on the provision of healthcare outside hospital settings.
Report Recommendations
Government
To support and champion the National Wound Care Strategy Programme’s lower limb implementation proposals to become an NHS E priority from 2024 onwards.
To include in clinical experiential education a greater focus on the provision of health care outside hospital settings where supported self care is more relevant.
NHS England
To support ICSs to measure the use of local supported self care in every region of England to ensure that resource can be adequately distributed.
To implement the NWCSP’s lower limb recommendations as a fully funded NHSE priority for national uptake.
To co-develop, produce, and deliver appropriate, evidence-led materials to support the supported self care agenda for clinicians and patients, including effective signposting to ensure it can be disseminated and found by those who need it, when they need it.
To ensure equal access to all treatments, including compression and proven technology to support supported self care in every ICS.
Clinicians
To ensure that patients are given the option of supported self care, where appropriate, and given support through their journey.
Patients
To be supported and empowered to speak openly about the care and treatment they receive, and become equal partners in, rather than simply recipients of care.