by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA
I’ve been talking a lot about self-management recently. We’ve had conflicting views through our MSK health inequalities inquiry – does it help address inequalities or exacerbate them?
It seems that it partly depends on what you mean by self-management. One of our lived experience partners said, “self-management is code for you’re on your own.” There is some suspicion amongst both people living with MSK conditions and health care professionals that this is the case, which can lead to resistance to uptake in the NHS. But there is more to it than that.
Chloe Stewart works as a health psychologist and defines supported self-management as increasing the knowledge, skills and confidence of people with a long-term condition to manage their condition. It involves systematic inputs such as health coaching and peer support. It does not mean just providing information and advice. That word ‘supported’ is important.
Chloe was speaking at the first of our oral evidence session this. I was able to discuss the issues with Chloe and Jim Phillips, from the Centre for Empowering Patients and Communities, both of whom have been working on supported self-management for many years.
Unfortunately, in many places the sort of support to self-manage that Chloe and Jim advocate is not available. We would like to see that change, especially as it has been shown to be cost-effective.
If you would like to hear the discussion about self-management you can watch a recording of the event. I’d recommend it as they both had useful insights into the issues and what supported self-management looks like when done well.
Thanks to everyone who has submitted evidence and to our expert advisory group and lived experience panel, our inquiry is going well and ideas for the report are beginning to take shape. Look to for more oral evidence sessions in the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to publishing the report at the end of the year. Then the real work begins – getting our messages out and making an impact.