Government announces training for long-term illness patients

Primary care trusts (PCTs) will be able to commission new courses for people with long-term illnesses under new measures announced today by the Department of Health (DoH).

In the first move of its kind, the department has established a social enterprise organisation, which will be known as the Expert Patients Programme – a community interest company.

The organisation will run self-management courses for people with long-term illnesses under commissioning from PCTs.

It is hoped that the training will improve the confidence of the aforesaid patients, improving their quality of life by increasing control over medical conditions.

Health minister Rosie Winterton said: “This is an excellent opportunity for PCTs to help patients in their local area to better manage long-term conditions.

“By commissioning these courses, they are investing in self-care and empowering patients, increasing social capital and improving community health.”

In addition, Ms Winterton added that providing patients with improved knowledge of how to manage their illnesses would reduce the need for costly emergency care.

Meanwhile, the DoH also recently announced plans to give clinicians greater control of local NHS priorities by establishing new guidelines for professional executive committees.