Health care professionals should work with you as an equal partner, they should seek to understand you and your carers and to give you a say in your care. They should bring together services to achieve the outcomes which are important to you. Person centred care planning puts patients and their families at the heart of all decisions regarding their long term health.
Long term conditions are conditions that you may live with every day.
These are some of the most common ones:
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Lung disease
- Mental health problems
- Asthma
- Epilepsy
As well as many others.
You may have one or more of these conditions. Care Planning will be done at the same time as checks for you Long Term Conditions.
Agreeing a care plan with your practice nurse means being able to talk about:
- Your condition(s)
- How your health problems affect your life
- What you want to do
- What more you can do for yourself with the right support
This will help you to manage better and keep your condition under control. It is about being given all the information you need, being listened to, being able to ask questions about your condition and feeling able to say what is really important to you. This will help to ensure that you get the right services and that you know about the wider choices available to meet all your needs, not just the medical ones. It will also help you to have a clear understanding of your medical condition and the impact this may have on your life. After your care plan discussion you may want to agree on a personalised action plan. This will be your care plan, which includes what you want to do yourself, and the support to help you do it. This is where the term ‘self-care’ might be used. Other details it could include are the services you will be receiving and a date when the plan will be reviewed. It may include information about your condition, treatment and contact details for support services such as self-help groups.