Self-care healthcare

It is difficult to move these days without bumping into the term ‘self-care’; it is everywhere. A blanket term open to misuse and misinterpretation, from taking time out of a busy schedule to reset, to ensuring a health condition is managed effectively. In healthcare, self-care is arguably what the future of healthcare systems rests on as the most effective means of reducing costs.

As a concept, self-care is certainly not new, and while the term slips easily off the tongue, implementing self-care initiatives and mobilising all the stakeholders needed to make it successful, is no mean feat. It is difficult to measure and quantify, yet time spent on and investment in self-care initiatives is not wasted – they release time back to care for HCPs and empower patients, giving them the opportunity to take back some control over their condition.

Self-care could be seen as the much-needed first steps in the journey towards personalised care, and a world where the role of the clinician is one of enabler, not fixer. Personalised care is expected to benefit 2.5 million people by 2024, by giving them the same choice and control of their mental and physical health as they have come to expect in every other aspect of their life.

As a society, we are privileged to have access to many materials that help us to reach our self-care goals; whether that be through personal apps, group classes or NHS materials, so we are more empowered than ever to take control of our own health and treatment outcomes.

Author: Jess Baldock