Making selfcare a reality in primary care

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Making self-care a reality in primary care
Sheila Kelly Chief Executive, PAGB
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The statistics

• The volume of prescriptions dispensed is growing
  year on year
• The volume of self-medication medicines purchased
  remains constant
• 50 of prescribed medicines are not used after
  dispensing
• Self-treatable symptoms account for nearly 40 of
  GP time

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Levels of Care in NHS
Hospital
Intermediate
Primary Care
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Where we need to be

• All people in Britain will be trusted to manage
  their health and prevent illness primarily
  through self-care with ready access to a wide
  range of modern, effective OTC medicines and food
  supplements.
• The NHS, Government departments, regulators and
  primary care workers will enable this to happen.

PAGB vision for self-care 2001
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Levels of Care NHS Plan, July 2000
Hospital
Intermediate
Primary Care
Self-Care
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Putting Patients in Control
By 2002 there will be a wider range of
over-the-counter medicines available - NHS
plan
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Reclassification alliance
Industry
Health professionals
Patient groups
Regulators
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Outcome of reclassification work
Lord Hunt 2007 50 switches

• RPS list of potential candidates
• improved, faster process
• guidelines about information to patients and
  health professionals

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What do we need to do to make it work?
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People are interested.

• Two thirds of internet users research health
  issues online
• Sales of consumer health magazines have grown at
  around 20 per year in the last decade
• The interest is there ..how do we engage people?

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Where self-care is now

• NHS modernisation
• NSFs - place for self-care
• NHS Direct - telephone, online, TV
• Community pharmacists - managing minor ailments
  and medicines
• Patient public involvement and expert patients

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Wanless Vision 2022 - if we do engage people -

• Levels of public engagement in relation to their
  health are high
• Life expectancy increases beyond current
  forecasts
• Health status improves dramatically
• People are confident in the health system and
  demand high quality care
• The health service is responsive with high rates
  of technology uptake, particularly in relation to
  disease prevention and
• Use of resources is more efficient.

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How do we get there?
Self-care is one of the best examples of how
partnership between the public and health
service can work. Derek Wanless, 2002
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The strategic gap on self care

• Self-care support funding is low as a proportion
  of NHS spend
• Lack of delivery programme for self-care support
  in comparison with the other main elements of the
  NHS Plan
• Good examples of self-care support are generally
  not widely disseminated

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Working with the NHS

• 2000 - Self-care - The New Horizon?
• 2001 - Putting patients in control
• - fast and convenient primary and self-care
• 2002 - Self-care Delivering Demand
• 2003 - Making Self-care a reality in primary
  care

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Making Self-care a reality in primary care

• Share good practice
• Establish frameworks
• Find partners and make links
• Work across the community
• Make a start
• PAGB facilitating the process