Setting the scene – personalised care

In January 2019, just after the NHS celebrated its 70th birthday, the NHS Long Term Plan was published. It was based on pride in all the good things the NHS has achieved in its first 70 years, but it acknowledged that there are challenges to be met if the service is to be fit for the future. The Plan wants to redesign patient care to future-proof the NHS for the decade ahead, so that we will be able to celebrate its 80th birthday in the best possible shape. One of the big practical changes which the Long Term Plan4 commits to is that “people will get more control over their own health and more personalised care when they need it.” This is because evidence shows that people will have better
experiences and improved health and wellbeing if they can actively shape their care and support. You can read more about personalised care – what it means, and what we’re going to do about it– in Universal Personalised Care. Its main aim is that up to 2.5 million people will benefit from personalised care by 2023/24. This will give them the same choice and control over their mental and physical health that they have come to expect in every other aspect of their lives.

We are working on a range of areas to help us embed personalised care – and in your role as a care coordinator, you are part of this.

These are the six main areas we are working in:
• Supported self-management, especially for people
with long-term conditions
• Shared decision-making between professionals and
the people they support
• Social prescribing and community-based
support
• Personalised care and support plans
• Choice – over where and how people receive care
• Personal health budgets for people with complex physical needs

It’s estimated that one in five of the people who go to see their GP are troubled by things that can’t be cured by medical treatment. GPs tell us they spend significant amounts of time dealing with the effects of poor housing, debt, stress and loneliness. Many people are overwhelmed and can’t reach out to make the connections that could make a difference to their situation.

This is especially true for people who have long-term conditions, who need support with their mental health, who are lonely or isolated, or who have complex social needs that affect their wellbeing. And that’s where you come in. As a care coordinator you will work as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) within your practice to identify the people most in need of proactive support.