Joanne Graham (pictured), director of service delivery at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, sheds light on the charity’s focus on supported self management
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) has been supporting people in Scotland for over 100 years. Key to the longevity of the organisation is its ability to adapt and evolve when needed.
During the pandemic, CHSS adapted to include long Covid as one of our supported conditions, aiming to provide help and support to the 160,000 Scots who report living with the condition.
Last October we adapted again with the launch of our refreshed No Life Half Lived strategy in direct response to the increasing pressure the NHS is facing and concerning trends in healthcare outcomes across the country. This strategy firmly positions supported self management at the heart of the services we provide, and sets out our aim to reach 175,000 people annually by 2028
Why supported self management?
Self management is a way for people living with long term conditions to have more control over their health and wellbeing by making choices that enable them to live their lives better. Through self management, people are encouraged to access information and develop skills to help them better manage their health conditions in a way that works for them.
It does not mean they are left to manage on their own. Crucially, it places more control in the hands of the person with the condition by supporting them to access the information and services they need, at a pace and time that suits them, focusing on small changes that have a big impact.
It is a move away from the traditional medical model approach to care which focuses on treating the condition and symptoms, instead putting the patient at the centre and recognising them as the expert in managing their own health, with support from healthcare services. It is a whole system approach that requires system change across the NHS and third sector to best meet the needs of the individual.
Our supported self management and community recovery model aims to improve people’s overall health and wellbeing and help them live life to the full. It has the ambition to demonstrate our service can reduce hospital admissions and pressures on primary and community care.
Supporting people and partners
At CHSS we have listened closely to the people we support and to our NHS and healthcare partners. We know from our 2023 1 in 5 Report that people struggle to access the services they need. When we asked our NHS partners what they needed from us to help them address the challenges they are facing, the feedback was clear – an evidence based supported self management workshop available in the community for people living with our conditions.
In response, we launched our No Life Half Lived Model which is a supported self management and community recovery model delivered by our Community Healthcare Support Services. Initially rolling out across two health board areas – Grampian and Lothian - the service offers a six-week introduction to supported self management for people referred to us from healthcare partners.
The evidence based supported self management programme, which was originally developed at Stanford University, uses goal setting, effective problem solving, tips for eating well and handling difficult emotions, as well as providing advice on how to hold conversations with health care professionals ensuring every individual is in control of their own health.
The course is delivered by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Community Healthcare Support team which includes healthcare professionals, community coordinators and volunteers. It is available online, or in person either in a one-to-one or group setting.
The goal
The results of our 1 in 5 Report revealed that people who use CHSS services rate their health and wellbeing higher than those who don’t. Nearly eight in ten (78%) people with CHSS conditions believe they have a key role to play in managing their condition, with support from health professionals.
We want to ensure that even more people living with our conditions gets access to the right support, at the right time, so they can live full lives. Our vision is to help shape a Scotland where people with CHSS conditions can live their lives well, and our supported self-management and community recovery model is helping us to realise that vision. We’re on a mission to ensure No Life Half Lived in Scotland.
To find out more about Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland visit www.chss.org.uk or contact engagement@chss.org.uk
Joanne Graham is CHSS’s director of service delivery.
This is Supported Self Management Week - find out more about it here.
