Free NHS Self-Management Programmes and Short Course/Workshops for people living with long-term health conditions and carers
Health, Self-Management and the Toolbox
The Symptom Cycle
Every Chronic Health Problem comes with a variety of symptoms. Some symptoms can be experienced as a direct result of a specific chronic condition such as Osteoarthritic pain. There may also be visual clues (e.g.): joints in hands appearing larger than normal and knobbly.
We know that symptoms are signals from the body that something unusual is happening and they can manifest in physical sensations such as pain that impacts mobility, shortness of breath or emotions such as fear and anger. The reality is that symptoms often contain combinations of the physical and emotional, physical health impacts on mental health and vice versa. Sometimes these symptoms can be difficult to see or describe but their effects can have such a devastating impact on everyday life because the person living with them experiences them 24/7. Managing a chronic health condition is like having a full-time job with no rest days or holiday leave.
Depending on the symptoms, the knock-on effects can mean having to give up work or a much-loved hobby, withdrawal from social contact, difficulty carrying out basic, everyday tasks such as preparing food and shopping. --And Symptoms can often lead to more symptoms, where the person with the chronic health problem is stuck in a vicious cycle especially when these common symptoms are left ignored or not managed in an informed, healthy and self-aware way.
Self-Management and the Toolbox
Self-management is not a new idea. If we look at the vicious cycle of symptoms and appreciate the correlation between physical and emotional/mental health, more than 40 years of research has shown that by learning to take personal responsibility for choices... what we eat, being more physically active, exercising, using stress management techniques and engaging more effectively as active partners in our healthcare, we can appreciate the value of the positive behavioural changes that can be made. In turn, how these tools can reap real rewards in the management of the symptom cycle and health/wellbeing.
A 6-week EPP self-management course refers to a symptom cycle and a toolbox of self-management techniques to encourage every person attending the sessions to explore how his or her symptoms impact on daily life and begin to look at effective ways to help manage these symptoms. These might involve CBT techniques to making more informed healthy food choices and exercise to help with physical and emotional/mental health. Most self-management tools work for all long-term health conditions however, there are specific chronic conditions that require self-management skills.
EPP self-management courses use the Stanford model and there are courses to suit different chronic health needs.
Free NHS Self-Management Courses Update:
February - March 2022
EPP is running its 6/7-week self management courses, starting with the
7-week (2.5 hours, 1 session per week for 7 weeks) online Living Well with Chronic Pain Self-Management Course:
Day/Date: Thursday 17 February 2022 (start) until Thursday 31 March 2022 (end)
Time: 1 pm until 3:30 pm
Sessions: 7 (7 x weekly sessions of 2.5 hours)
Platform: Microsoft Teams (course accessed via meeting link sent via email)
Short Course/Workshop
Physical and Mental Wellbeing for Carers
Day/Date: Wednesday 16 March 2022
Time: 10 am until 1 pm (3-hour)
Sessions: 1
Platform: Microsoft Teams (workshop accessed via meeting link sent via email)
STANCE (Diabetes Foot Health Education)
Day/Date: Monday 7 March 2022
Time: 6 pm until 7:30 pm (1.5-hour)
Sessions: 1
Platform: Microsoft Teams (presentation accessed via meeting link sent via email)
For further information on signposting/registration, contact:
029 20 335 403
(EPP Cymru Cardiff and Vale office)
Epp.Info.cav@wales.nhs.uk (email)