WIREDGOV

People with long-term conditions in 37 areas across England are next in line to receive person-centred support to manage their own care, thanks to the roll-out of an evidence-based tool over the next 5 years.  The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) is a validated tool which captures the extent to which people feel engaged and confident in taking care of their health & wellbeing, helping professionals tailor support to better meet their needs.

NHS England agreed a deal to grant 1.8m people access to the tool as part of its developing Self Care Support programme, and invited local NHS organisations & their partners to apply to use them in their areas.  37 bids – including a number of new care model vanguards and sites working as part of the Integrated Personal Commissioning (IPC) Programme – have now been confirmed, which will see use of the tool spread across England and applied to help improve care and outcomes for a variety of different patient groups.

For example:

• Tower Hamlets CCG will use PAM to tailor the information and support individuals need to take an active role in the person centred care planning process. It will use PAM to understand “where the individual is at” to help inform the conversation and support them to develop their goals and outcomes.
• In Blackpool, PAM will be used in the Extensive Care Service of the Fylde coast new models of care to support frail elderly patients with multiple long-term conditions and at high-risk of an emergency admission. Knowing their level of activation will help the service to adapt their interventions so they are appropriate to the patient’s current level of confidence, knowledge and skills.
• In Southwark, besides using PAM to tailor support to individuals, staff will be supported to value and interpret patient activation, with tools and self-management support to mobilise collaborative and less medical model, attitudes and ways of working.

NHS England:  37 areas to lead rollout of tool to deliver person-centred care

Invitation to ‘tool-up’ for better care