Long Term Conditions

What is care and support planning?

This way of working aims to give you the opportunity to get more out of your annual review appointments by reorganising the way things happen and giving you more information before you see one of our clinicians. It should help you talk about:

  • What support you may need
  • What is important to you
  • What you can do to look after your health and stay well

Who is it for?

Any patient who has a Long Term Condition (LTC).

What does this mean for me?

This means that your care and support planning review will normally take place over two separate appointments and you will have time to think about what you want to get out of these visits.

What happens at the first appointment?

At the first appointment, you will be asked to attend the surgery to have a number of tests done with a clinician. The tests may include a blood test (non-fasting), weight, blood pressure and, if you’re diabetic, a foot check. The clinician will either book your next appointment which will be with one of our Physician Associates, Nurses or Healthcare Professional or ask you to arrange this appointment with the Reception desk.

What happens next?

Your test results from this appointment will be available when you attend to see the clinician. The results of this test will be discussed with the clinician and any appropriate action taken.

What happens at the care and support planning appointment?

At your care and support planning appointment you will be able to ask questions and talk about what’s important to you. The clinician will raise any issues she is concerned about. Once you both agree on the main things to work on, you will get the chance to work out a plan and identify any support you need to help you look after your health.

There are a number of services that can help you when it comes to looking after yourself if you have the following Long Term Conditions – Diabetes, Chronic Heart Disease, (CHD), Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The Benefits

This way of working is nearly always preferred by patients. It will help both you and our clinician make the best use of the time you have in your care and support planning appointment. All the important tests and results needed at your appointment will be available for discussion at your second appointment.