Personalised care is the focus for local patients

People in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes who live with physical or mental health conditions have been urged to consider what personalised care could do to improve their wellbeing, as part of a national awareness week.

Personalised care represents a new relationship between people, professionals and the health and care system.  It happens when we make the most of the expertise, capacity and potential of people, families and communities.  This sort of care is about giving people greater control and choice over how their care is planned and delivered, based on their unique circumstances, needs, and preferences.

In its simplest form, personalised care is based around asking people what matters to them, rather than what is the matter with them.  This means that because this sort of care is so individual, it can be difficult to envisage what it might mean for individual patients.

Dr Andrew Rochford, chief medical officer for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said:

“It is so important that we as clinicians work with our patients to address what matters to them.  For some people, greater personalisation might mean social prescribing, which is where a patient is offered an introduction to a charity or community group which offers a service which meets their needs.

“Locally we have an ever-growing range of projects.  Art and craft groups can help people remain socially active and using their hands, which can be important for those with arthritis and similar conditions.  There’s also a gardening group which meets at a heritage railway station to help its volunteers maintain the grounds.

“For others, it might mean using AI technologies to work on their mental health or to help manage any long-term physical conditions they’ve been diagnosed with.  It gives patients a more active role in managing their own health, based on what matters most to them.

“The NHS’s aspiration is that this sort of care becomes the norm for everyone, especially with the forthcoming shift from sickness to prevention, so we’re using Personalised Care Week to raise awareness and prompt discussions on our social media channels.”