Writing Excellence – General

Summary of work

The NHS is under constant pressure to deliver efficient, sustainable and patient-centric models of care and Supported Self-Management (SSM) is an increasingly important approach within this.

However, IBD lags behind other chronic diseases in the adoption of SSM and in response the AbbVie Knowledge Network - a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders - was brought together to investigate the future of SSM across a range of conditions.

An IBD-specific task force identified two key barriers to the adoption of SSM among IBD patients; consultations focused predominantly on clinical, not patient-centred goals and patients frequently disengaged from playing an active role in their care at the point of diagnosis.

The IBD task force proposed two practical ways to address these; a personalised care plan and a new model for supporting newly diagnosed patients.

The Personalised Care Plan (PCP) and New Patient Induction Meeting (NPIM) pack were co-created with a leading gastroenterologist, Crohn’s and Colitis UK and two IBD Nurse Specialists for HCPs to use with IBD patients.

These materials are now being introduced to 11 IBD services across the UK. Feedback from the pilot roll-out will inform the way in which these tools are disseminated to a wider range of clinicians, across the country.

Judges' comments

This was a project that was very clearly written and succinct, but at the same time came across as being extremely thorough, with lots of practical information that was well referenced. All in all it’s a highly practical resource to enable supported patient care in IBD.