The Year of Care approach draws on a number of models and approaches which describe a way of working supported by an evidence base. The chronic care model (Wagner, EH, Austin BT, Von Korff, M. (1996) Organising Care for Patients with Chronic Illness) describes how better outcomes for people with LTCs can be achieved when there is partnership working between an ‘engaged’, ‘empowered’ or ‘activated patient’ and an organised proactive healthcare system (as exemplified by the House).
A Cochrane review summarises the evidence for personalised care and support planning (Personalised care planning for adults with chronic or long-term health conditions, Coulter A, Entwistle VA et al 2015):
Improvements are seen when personalised care and support planning is integrated into routine care, includes goal setting and action planning and ensures both practitioners and patients receive appropriate training and support.
Angela Coulter delivered a keynote speech entitled ‘Care and support planning – the time is now’ at our Community of Practice Network Event in June 2016 and discussed some of the findings from the review. To see a summary of some of the key points Angela raised please click the link below:
Angela Coulter – Care and support planning – the time is now!
There is an extensive evidence base for the effectiveness of interventions which support self-management and their cost effectiveness. Self-care is one of the best examples of how partnerships between the public and health service can work – for every £100 spent on encouraging self-care, around £150 worth of benefits can be achieved in return (Wanless D. (2002). Securing Our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term View. Final Report. HM Treasury).
Both National Voices and the Health Foundation have produced summaries of the evidence for this way of working.
Year of Care (via personalised care and support planning and commissioning non-traditional services to support self-management) provides a systematic and practical approach to putting support for self-management into routine practice.