Definitions of Personalised Care Topics

What is Personalised Care?

Personalised Care is when you have a right to discuss and decide with your doctor, nurse or any healthcare and social care professional the best choice of treatment that will help you.  You have the choice and control over your health as you do in every other aspect of your life.

Did you know you can “self-refer”? This means you can contact a healthcare service to ask for treatment without having to go to your GP. You can ask someone to do this for you.

For example if you want to have physiotherapy to help your symptoms, you can ask for this help without being referred by your GP or you can ask someone to do this for you.

Co-production

Co-production is a way of thinking about how our public services need to work. It involves working in equal partnership with people who use services, carers and NHS and social care staff.  It can help make the best use of resources, deliver better outcomes for people who use services and carers. There are key principles for co-production around equality, diversity, access and cooperation.  It is also a requirement of the Care Act 2014.

Health Literacy

Health literacy is about adults and young people having enough knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence to use health information. This will help them to be active partners in their care, and to navigate health and social care systems.

Patient Activation Measure

Patient activation describes the knowledge, skills and confidence a person has in managing their own health and care.  By understanding people’s activation levels will enable care professionals to tailor their approaches to a person’s needs to improve their health outcomes. This aims to ensure a better experience of care and reduce unplanned care admissions.

Personal Health

This topic in the Directory includes all courses and information to support personalised care,  such as personalised health budgets and communication.

Reablement

Reablement has a variety of meaning, such as “post operative care” or “after care”.  It is the short term care given to a person within their home, residential care home or independent living homes.

Shared Decision Making

Shared decision-making is when a health and social care professional and a person work together in discussing their treatment and care.  It will mean that person can say what their needs and preferences are, understand the treatment options being offered so they can make an informed decision.

Social Prescribing

Social prescribing is a way for local agencies* to refer adults and young people to a link worker.  Link workers give people time, focusing on ‘what matters to me’ by looking at the health of the entire body and mind.  They will connect adults and young people to community groups and local services who can help them.  Adults and young people have the option to contact these community groups and local services themselves.

 

*Please note that local agencies include general practices, pharmacies, multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams, allied health professionals, fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing associations and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations.