Common Core Principles For Self-Care Out For National Consultation

Have we got it right? That’s the question being posed in a major consultation drive being launched across the country this month (January) until March. People who use social care and health services, carers, and employers within the public, voluntary and private sectors will be urged to comment on a trailblazing set of five ‘common core principles’.

These ‘common core principles’ have been drawn up in order to address the self-care agenda highlighted in the Government’s White Paper ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say.’

The Department of Health, working with the Sector Skills Councils, Skills for Health and Skills for Care is developing a competence framework for professionals, to identify the skills and knowledge they need to develop to support self-care.

The national workforce development body for adult social care, Skills for Care and Skills for Health, have now developed a set of common core principles for self care and are leading the consultation.

Andrea Rowe, CEO of Skills for Care stresses that the common core principles and the consultation are “central to the vision and values of the White Paper.” And she adds: ” It is vital that we can get it right in order to ensure that the framework that is finally put in place is central to meeting needs.”

‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’ seeks to provide people with better opportunities in terms of choice, dignity and greater control over their own lives. It aims to change the delivery of health and social care to assist the needs of the individual – and the emphasis is on supporting self-care, promoting well-being and community engagement, prevention and early intervention with services designed around people who use social care and health services.

The common core principles are:

• Empower people to make informed choices to manage their condition and care needs more effectively
• Communicate effectively to enable people to develop and gain confidence in their self-care skills
• Enable and support people to use technology to support self-care
• Enable and support people to develop skills in self-care
• Enable and support people to participate in service planning and to access support networks

Consultation focus groups with people who use services and carers have been organised to take place over the coming weeks and months. Consultation with employer organisations is also being planned. In addition, the consultation on the common core principles for self-care is now available at www.skillsforcare.org.uk and www.skillsforhealth.org.uk. Responses need to be received no later than 28th February 2007 by [email protected].

The final results will be presented to the project’s steering group and the Department of Health, who will consider the next steps.