EXPERTS PATIENTS PROGRAM

Over 15 million adults in England have at least one long-term health condition (LTC) that limits their life/activities in some way. If you don’t have a LTC, chances are that you know or are related or care for someone who does. It is widely recognised that irrespective of their LTC or caring role, people deal with similar issues on a daily basis, that include pain, fatigue, stress, difficult emotions (frustration, worry, anger, guilt) and the lack of coping skills.

The Expert Patients Programme (EPP) is a self-management course for people living with long-term conditions that enables individuals to develop new skills to manage their condition more effectively. Unlike other programmes, the emphasis here is not on teaching people about their condition or giving them relevant condition specific information nor telling them what they must do. Instead it is based on developing an individual’s confidence in their own ability to take control of the management of their health and the impact that it has on their daily life.

In addition the programme aims to motivate people to use the skills and experiences that they have, the skills and information gained on the course and the various professional services available to take effective control over their own life.

The course is FREE, and runs once a week for six weeks, with each weekly session lasting two and a half hours in

cluding a 20 minute break. The two tutors live with long term health conditions themselves or care for someone who does and lead 12-16 participants through a structured course covering variety of topics that include: Problem Solving, Action Planning, Decision Making, Healthy Eating, Fitness and Exercise, Sleep, Pain, fatigue and its management, Medication usage, breaking the Symptom Cycle, Working with your healthcare team/professional, Communication Skills, Planning for the future, etc.

Participants are given the opportunity to put into practice the skills they learn on the course in a supportive environment with others who are facing similar challenges - both participants and tutors. They are also given a copy of a published resource book that includes the topics covered, albeit in more detail in addition to other related topics that support the participant to self manage.

The programme takes a holistic approach towards managing long-term health conditions and its impact on an individual’s daily life and is suitable for individuals with a wide range of conditions physical and mental health conditions.

One of the often delivered variations is a programme called Looking after Me (LAM) for adults who care for someone living with a long-term condition or disability. As the name implies the course is about you (the Carer) taking the time to look after your own health needs and take more control of your caring situation. Individuals who have taken part in the programme have reported that it has helped them to: Manage their caring situation more effectively, meet others in the same situation, share and learn from their experiences, be realistic about the impact of their caring situation on themselves and their family and develop more effective relationships with health and social care professionals.

Participants gain different things from attending a course: Changes in their lives and the way they manage their long term condition and medical outcome, taking time out to do something for themselves, friends, working more effectively with their healthcare team. Some chose to train as tutors to deliver the course, others to promote the course. Often using this as a means to regain their confidence to return to work or take up other voluntary pursuits. Some participants make action plans during the course to start new things, re-train for new careers, move home etc., all the while becoming good Self Managers.

Having taken the first steps towards a more active role in their healthcare, many participants get involved with their GP surgery’s Patient Liaison Group (PLG) or the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) taking an active part in shaping the health services of the community.

For dates of the next course at Chatfield Health Care contact: Nick Gazzard or Jane Bell on 02037640822

For more Information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOaxQaF0HaY For courses across the borough of Wandsworth contact: http://www.wandsworthccg.nhs.uk/localservices/Self-Care/Pages/Wandsworth-Self-ManagementProgramme.aspx