News

A group of Expert Patients helped to launch new web pages for people with long term conditions on the County Durham and Darlington Health Promotion web site, Wednesday 7 December 2005.

The web site is the brain child of a collaboration between Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT), Sedgefield Expert Patients Programme, the Princess Royal’s Carers Forum and the County Durham and Darlington Health Promotion Library.

Local people living in the Sedgefield Borough with a long term condition, such as arthritis, asthma, back pain, diabetes, heart conditions, multiple sclerosis and mental health issues will be able to use the web site to get practical advice and tips on how to live with their condition, and they can be signposted to support that is available.

The site is at: www.health-promotion.cdd.nhs.uk

The website will initially focus on signposting people to a range of support that currently exists for patients and carers in the area, in particular the excellent Expert Patients Programme (EPP). It also includes information on other services such as Care in the Chemist, transport, Young Carers and local support groups.

Expert Patient courses have been up and running in Sedgefield Borough since 2003 and has already helped over 150 people, with 9 people with long term conditions themselves going on to become tutors. The Expert Patients Programme is delivered and supported by a partnership between Sedgefield PCT and the Pioneering Care Partnership.

Susan Lee, Health Improvement Facilitator for Working Age Adults, Sedgefield PCT, said: "We are delighted to finally launch our new web pages and hope to see it evolve over the coming months, it is not only of great benefit to members of the public with long term conditions and their carers but it is also a useful resource for professionals.

"The website is full of practical help and support, for patients on how to live with a long term medical condition.

"We hope that the pages and the Expert Patients Programme will help patients to manage their condition better, reduce the need for medical intervention, and advise carers on aspects associated with caring such as welfare benefits, the role of the chemist etc, as well as provide details of local support groups."

Local support groups attended the launch to host information stands and those that attended were given information on the Expert Patient Programme and the new Living with a Long Term Condition web pages. The Living with a Long Term Condition web pages are the first to be launched in the northern region.

The story is also now reported on the BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4520414.stm