1. Own plan aim
2. Choose your list of plan headings
3. Steps to build your own plan; then take to discuss and develop with your doctors and nurses.
[Time to read: 6 mins]
1. Your personal healthcare plan aim
As the new UK NHS Long Term Plan says [para. 5.15, Jan. 2019], “Patients’ Personal Health Records will hold a personal care plan that includes information added by the patients themselves, and their home carers. Making care plans available to the patient and all clinicians caring for them will help ensure the right care actions are taken in good time”.
2. Choose your list of healthcare plan headings
Suggest you open a new file, and give it a name like ‘My health plan’. Start by copying headings that are important to you, from the ones listed in our suggested ‘your plan layout‘ page. Then, as you talk better health with family and friends, and read health guides, write your plan actions under the right heading. Some good and often useful actions are suggested in your plan layout page, under each disease. But remember this is your own plan. Do think about questions that could be important to improve your health:
- Your health needs in emergencies/accidents? Home, home carers and doctors/GP contacts? (I always carry an emergency red card with these on).
- My diet plan? Digestive upsets; sick day rules?
- My future health checks plan (actions, tests/dates, annual review dates.)
- How to avoid hospital-acquired infections?
- Health Helplines? e.g. Diabetes UK Helpline (T: 0345 123 2399).
- Heart: what if possible heart attack?
- Other long-term diseases I am at risk of?
- Stroke: what if possible stroke happens? or a mini-stroke, often called a ‘TIA’? Remember act ‘FAST‘.
8. My notes on my important happenings, & questions for my doctor ?
9. Targets discussed and agreed, e.g. blood pressure, weight, smoking, exercise, and by what dates?
3. Steps to build your own plan
1. Enter important personal health data from your digital monitors, smartwatches, and
smartphone health apps approved by Orcha. And do not forget your own NHS app includes part of your own personal health record, e.g. recent blood tests. Keep it short.
2. Note down health things that worry you and any actions to take, for review with your doctors.
- 3. Your blood pressure readings over the past year.
- 4. Any abnormal blood tests, e.g. in your NHS app digital record, not marked by the NHS as ‘normal’.
- 5. Since your lifestyle is so important to your health, report on your regular exercise, weight, and diet.
- 6. Any other health concerns you have, including diseases you think you are at risk of, and want to to prevent – check this list of long term diseases you could prevent.
7. Actions? Decide which sections, in suggested plan layout, you want to put in your own health plan. Copy their sub-headings into your own ‘my health plan’ file. Then decide your detailed actions, dates by, or how often, and targets. Put them in your draft plan, to discuss with your doctor and nurses.
page updated 22 January 2022. © 2022 by social enterprise Diabetes-cutmyrisks.co.uk.™ Ltd.