NHS England launches initiative to empower patients and communities to take control of their health
NHS England has launched the Realising the Value Programme, a new initiative which will empower people and communities to take more control of their health.
Through this initiative, NHS England will award a grant of up to £500,000 to a charity or not for profit organisation (or consortium) to identify evidence-based approaches to self-care. This programme will also support the commissioning and spread of such approaches, across local communities, and in the NHS, to empower people to take an active role in their health and care.
The Realising the value programme builds on the NHS Five Year Forward View, published in October, which sets out how the health service needs to change and argues for a more engaged relationship with patients, carers and citizens. It makes a specific commitment to do more to support people with long term conditions to manage their own health and care.
The Forward View signals the need to work with voluntary sector partners to create significant investment in evidence-based approaches such as group based education for people with specific conditions and self-management courses, as well as encouraging peer-to-peer support communities to emerge.
Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, said: “We must fully harness the renewable energy represented by patients and communities. This programme and others like it will help to shift power to patients and citizens, strengthen communities, improve health and wellbeing, and – as a by-product – help moderate rising demand on the NHS. Our conviction is that these sorts of initiatives are precisely the sort of ‘slow burn, high impact’ actions that are now essential.”
Giles Wilmore, Director for Patient and Public Voice and Information at NHS England, said: “Building on the role and resources of people has long been an aspiration of the NHS, but real change has been hard to achieve. NHS England is making this grant available to enable services to build on the resources of the local community, and empower patients to take control of their own health and care”
Jonathan Marron, Director of Strategy at PHE said: “Building on the role and resources of individuals, and supporting them to manage their health and have a greater say in their care is a joint aim of both public health and NHS care. PHE will work with NHS England to shape this new programme to ‘realise the value’ of patients and communities, with a keen focus on delivering tools which enable real change on the ground”.
Interested organisations have until 9 January 2015 to apply for money from the Realising the Value programme. NHS England will be hosting and event on 8 December, in London, where organisations can come and find out more about the programme and submitting an application. If you would like to attend, contact Shamila Kafait by email england.patientsincontrol@nhs.net or on 0113 825 1324.
View full details of the Realising the Value: a new relationship with patients and communities programme.