Choosing Self-Management for Life

The ‘Choosing Self-Management for Life’ programme recognises that living with a long-term health condition involves much more than just medical management. Self-management is not about ignoring or denying a condition, nor is it about allowing the condition to dominate life, but instead it offers a third way.

‘Choosing Self-Management for Life’ offers people the opportunity to gain a helpful understanding of their condition, support to reflect on the emotional impact of life with a long-term condition and identify ways to manage this impact, along with space to consider the benefits, for them, of making adaptations in the way they manage their lives and the life-style choices they make.

People with long-term health conditions manage their lives on a daily basis. A collaborative, problem-solving approach by health care providers can help patients manage challenging situations which impact on their health care. For this reason ‘Choosing Self-Management for Life’ condition specific programmes, delivered by a clinician and someone with life experience of a specific long-term condition, use an equal-partnership model.

‘Choosing Self-Management for Life’ offers a flexible approach  for organisations keen to promote self-management and effectively support self-management within their patient population with programmes which can be adapted to meet the needs of commissioning organisations. 

Currently, Expert Patients Programmes are available in a range of condition areas:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Musculo-skeletal pain
• Enduring depression

Further programmes for people living with different health conditions could be developed in partnership with clinical teams and patient groups.

Generic progammes are also available to meet specific needs:

• To support the introduction of Personalised Care Planning
• As high-intensity programmes for use with people at high risk of repeated hospital admission and A&E visit
• Within the prison setting

‘Choosing Self-Management for Life’ is part of a whole system approach to supporting self-management and as such we aim to embed self-management support and build local capacity within organisations to provide programmes, with tutors representing the local long-term condition workforce and patient population.

For more information please call Freephone 0800 988 5550 or contact us by email

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