A new self-care website has been launched to provide NHS staff and patient groups with advice, information and practical tools to help encourage people to take care of themselves.
The website hosts a range of materials to enable general practices to implement self-care initiatives into their practices, including top tips, reports, research, white papers and case studies. Staff can also upload their own case studies in order to share ideas, facilitate discussion and encourage self care to continue to spread throughout the country.
The website will act as the online home for the Self Care Forum, which was ratified by Paul Burstow, Minister of State for Care Services, on May 10, 2011, and will host self-care news and events, as well as specific updates from the Forum.
The purpose of the Self Care Forum is to further the reach of self care and embed it into everyday life. It has evolved out of the Self Care Campaign, which launched in 2010 with the news that education around self care has the potential to save the NHS £2bn. Now that this financial message has been recognised, the Forum aims to take self-care into a new solution-building phase, focusing on the ‘how’ rather than the ‘why’.
Dr Ian Banks, Men’s Health Forum and Professor Sue Cross, Primary Care Nursing, London South Bank University said on behalf of the Self Care Forum members: “It is crucial that we start sharing ideas around self-care in order to embed it fully in our culture. We hope that the new Self Care Forum website will help establish a running discourse around selfcare, as well as continue to engage all involved in shaping our future healthcare.”
They added: “We want to urge clinicians, patient groups and those involved in interacting with patients and the public to join the Self Care Movement and make a change that is vital for society, patients, staff and the NHS to secure a future world class health service.”
Related links:
Self Care Forum