Supporting Self Care in Primary Care

Book excerpt: "Self care is about people's attitudes and lifestyle, as well as what they can do to take care of themselves when they have a health problem. Supporting self care is about increasing people's confidence and self esteem, enabling them to take decisions about the sensible care of their health and avoiding triggering health problems. Although many people are already practising self care to some extent, there is a great deal more that they can do." - Ruth Chambers, Gill Wakley and Alison Blenkinsopp, in the Preface. Designed around the Department of Health's Working in Partnership Programme, this book is full of easy-to-implement advice for everyday use, promoting a positive approach to self care and demonstrating how smoothly it can be introduced and undertaken. "Supporting Self Care in Primary Care" encourages interactive professional learning and development, both individually and within a team, and highlights the importance and benefits of self care in the workplace. It is a self-contained text with tools and illustrative examples to aid comprehension, and includes a complementary web resource containing further tools and a training package. All healthcare professionals involved in commissioning or providing primary care to patients will find this practical guide invaluable, as will healthcare managers and health promotion specialists.