Welcome to the Self Care Campaign...
Time to end GP dependency culture
It’s time to take radical action to end the culture of GP dependency and equip people to take a much more active role in dealing with their minor ailments urges a new Self Care Movement. Latest research conducted by IMS Health, reveals that the treatment of minor ailments costs the NHS around £2billion per year and accounts for over an hour a day for every GP.
This call for action, hot on the heels of the Government’s recent anti antibiotic campaign ‘Get Well Soon’, comes from the Self Care in Practice Movement that is already widely supported by healthcare professionals across primary care and the PAGB. Self Care in Practice wants to see healthcare professionals work towards achieving a real shift in attitude away from “doctor knows best” to “what can I do to help myself” when it comes to everyday minor ailments.
As Professor Mike Pringle from the University of Nottingham explains: “We know from research* that patients are ready and willing to take more responsibility for managing their own health but they need better information and more reassurance that they are doing the right thing. Self care does not mean no care – it means empowering individuals to make an informed choice and giving them access to and advice on the different courses of action they can take.”
General practice is perfectly placed to take the lead role in ensuring that healthcare professionals can effectively inform patients and the new movement is backing up its call for action with carefully targeted tangible support.
Dr Paul Stillman, A GP in Sussex added “It’s frustrating that while nine out of ten people are prepared to initially treat minor ailments themselves the vast majority give up on their treatments in favour of a GP consultation. This is very often because they just don’t understand that most minor ailments will get better on their own without the need to see a doctor.”
The PAGB is hosting a new dedicated area on its website www.pagb.co.uk/selfcare/movementforminorailments.html supporting Self Care in Practice which includes findings from the IMS research which they commissioned last year. As Gopa Mitra, Director of Health Policy and Public Affairs says, “PAGB is delighted to be a founding member of Self Care in Practice and over the next six weeks we will be promoting and sharing examples of best practice and case studies to help general practice break the cycle of GP dependency.”
“There are real advantages for everyone if we can persuade people to take greater control over the management of their minor ailments. The use of prescriptions and antibiotics will reduce, GPs can spend more time on complex consultations and patients can treat themselves without delay. Upping the importance of the self care agenda is good for patients and good for health professionals,” Dr Pete Smith, Vice President of the NAPC concluded.
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Time to Change the Culture of Dependency on the NHS
PAGB / RCGP conference, 17 Nov 2009
The resounding message from the self care conference is that it is now time to change the culture of dependency for minor ailments.
You can listen to the podcast below (15 mins) which includes views from the speakers including Professor Steve Field, RCGP, Dr Laurence Buckman, General Practitioner Committee and Dr Anna Dixon, King's Fund:
The conference report and London Declaration for Self Care are available to download. |
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Notes to editors:
*Research - Care at the Chemist – A Question of Access
The following supporting material can be viewed at: www.pagb.co.uk/selfcare/movementforminorailments.html
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