One of the biggest challenges facing the NHS is the increasing diagnosis of long-term conditions (LTC), accounting for a large proportion of resource. Often, this is exacerbated by a high proportion of patients being affected by additional LTC’s.
Although there’s a wealth of information available to patients by healthcare professionals, due to increasing time constraints on appointments, patients are often left with inadequate or inaccurate knowledge.
As a result, patients often receive insufficient support to manage their complex conditions and medication regimes – leaving them overwhelmed. Many do not understand the nature of their condition, treatment options available or how to navigate the health system effectively. This can result in poor management by the patient, frequent exacerbations and therefore ineffective use of health resources – including a high number of inappropriate admissions to A&E.
Totally Health provides an innovative, proven model to improve care for patients with LTC using clinical health coaching. Each patient is assigned a personal health coach, all of whom are trained nurses. They have sufficient time to educate patients, listen to their concerns and correct misunderstandings. This leads to increased confidence and awareness of their condition, empowering patients to self-care and to take the necessary steps to control symptoms and avoid complications.
Coaching takes place on the telephone, which enables flexibility with appointments, at times convenient to the patient and removes the need for transport. There is no limit on the number of calls, allowing the coaches to work at the pace of each individual – therefore a totally bespoke service.
Where patients are unwilling to comply with treatment, the health coaches will identify the reasons why and aim to facilitate enhancement of health and wellbeing.
Patients are encouraged and supported to reach agreed goals with treatment and lifestyle changes. Examples include smoking cessation, weight reduction, exercise, diet modification and drug and alcohol dependency. It is a medically-driven whole-person coaching model and results in clear behavioural changes.
Totally Health’s tailored one-on-one coaching enables patients to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to become active participants in their own healthcare, reducing their reliance on emergency health services. The model is proven to complement existing health services. It delivers lasting changes for patients, resulting in more effective management and better compliance with treatment, as well as an improved usage of available health services.
Wish to read how we achieved 50% reduction in GP appointments with our patients?
Totally Health recently partnered with Primary Care Reports to produce a special report into “Improving Care for Patients with Long Term Conditions through Clinical Health Coaching”.
The report looks at Long Term Health Conditions and the impact they can have; new ways of managing Long Term Conditions including Clinical Health Coaching and details working studies of Self-Care programmes and the success they have in helping empower patients.
The report is available to read here:
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