Answers to some frequently asked questions
What is Birmingham OwnHealth®?
How does Birmingham OwnHealth® work?
What disease areas are covered by Birmingham OwnHealth?
Why are only these conditions covered?
How successful has the service been to date?
What are the future plans for Birmingham OwnHealth®?
Where is Birmingham OwnHealth® currently available and what are the plans to expand the service into other areas of Birmingham?
Tell me a little more about the care managers.
How do care managers work with members' GPs and other existing local healthcare services?
What level of ongoing interaction do GPs have with the care managers?
What is care management/disease management?
What are the benefits of care management?
What is Birmingham OwnHealth®?
Birmingham OwnHealth® is the first care management service of its kind in the UK, delivered in partnership by Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust (BEN PCT), Pfizer Health Solutions* and NHS Direct.
Birmingham OwnHealth® offers a personalised, structured programme of care managed support for people in Birmingham with coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder and/or diabetes. We are also currently developing other services to support people who have had a stroke, elderly people needing more support and people at risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The service is delivered over the phone by a team of care managers - fully trained and experienced nurses employed by NHS Direct. Care managers build and maintain ongoing relationships with enrolled members, providing motivation, support and knowledge to help encourage people to take actions to improve their health and get the best health outcomes from treatment programmes already recommended by their GP and/or healthcare professional.
Evidence shows that when people are empowered to take control of their own health and helped to engage more effectively with healthcare services, their overall health, quality of life and satisfaction levels all improve.
Birmingham OwnHealth® is a multi-lingual service, offering direct services in English, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi. It aims to reach across Birmingham's diverse ethnic communities to improve health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities across BEN PCT.
* Pfizer Health Solutions is a group within Pfizer Limited that operates independently of Pfizer's medicines business.
How does Birmingham OwnHealth® work?
People who may benefit from Birmingham OwnHealth® are referred to the service and invited to enrol as a member by their GP. Once enrolled in the service, people will receive structured and personalised support over the telephone from a dedicated Care Manager who will help individuals to achieve the best health outcomes from the treatment programmes already agreed between that person and their GP and/or healthcare professional. The Care Manager helps individuals to:
- better understand their own medical condition
- acquire skills and knowledge and make positive lifestyle changes which can benefit their condition and overall health
- correctly follow treatment programmes as prescribed by their GP and/or other healthcare professionals
- understand how to engage and use local NHS services more appropriately and effectively
What disease areas are covered by Birmingham OwnHealth®?
Birmingham OwnHealth® currently provides support for people with CHD, heart failure, type 1 and type 2 diabetes and/or COPD. Services are also being developed for people who have had a stroke, people who are at risk of developing CVD and elderly patients needing more support.
Why are only these conditions covered?
For selected long term medical conditions (e.g. heart disease or diabetes) changes in a person's behaviour and lifestyle (e.g. diet, exercise, getting regular health checks, etc) can make a significant impact on controlling their condition, slowing potential deterioration, reducing the risk of complications and ultimately helping them to stay as healthy as possible.
How successful has the service been to date?
An internal evaluation of the service after one year indicated that Birmingham OwnHealth® has helped to empower people to take greater responsibility for their health and make positive changes to their health behaviours. In turn, this has seemingly positively impacted both clinical measures and use of local healthcare resources. The results of this evaluation showed:
- increased levels of exercise, improved diet and reduced levels of smoking in members
- improved clinical measures including reductions in cholesterol, blood pressure and HbA1C blood glucose levels (for patients with diabetes)
- potential reductions in hospital admissions, A&E visits and GP visits
- high levels of satisfaction amongst enrolled members (96% were satisfied with the quality of the Birmingham OwnHealth® service)
What are the future plans for Birmingham OwnHealth®?
Over the next three years Birmingham OwnHealth® will be expanded across East and North Birmingham to be available to any eligible person registered with a BEN PCT GP. The service will also be extended to provide personalised healthcare support for more long term conditions including stroke, elderly patients needing greater support and people at risk of developing CVD. State-of-the-art health monitoring devices will be introduced which people can use in their own home to record vital health measures including blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, lung capacity and weight, and automatically share the results with their GP. The Birmingham OwnHealth® service will also work more closely with Birmingham's social care services with the aim of providing enrolled members with a single point of contact for their overall care.
Where is Birmingham OwnHealth® currently available and what are the plans to expand the service into other areas of Birmingham?
Until now, the Birmingham OwnHealth® service has only been available to people registered with GP practices in the Oscott, Washwood Health, Kingstanding and Bordesley Green areas of Birmingham.
In May this year, the Birmingham OwnHealth® partners announced plans to extend the scheme over the next three years right across East and North Birmingham, to make it available to any eligible person registered with a Ben PCT GP. Under the first stage of these extension plans, the service is currently being rolled out to GP practices in Sutton.
Tell me a little more about the care managers.
A team of 24 Care Managers gives personalised guidance and support over the telephone, building ongoing relationships with people and providing motivation, skills and knowledge to help encourage people to take actions to improve their own health.
Care Managers build one-to-one relationships with individuals, calling people at mutually agreed times, as often as needed. GPs and other healthcare professionals can encourage people to call their care manager if they need extra support/have specific queries on their condition on those occasions when a visit to their GP is not essential.
How do care managers work with members' GPs and other existing local healthcare services?
Under Birmingham OwnHealth®, the relationship between an enrolled person and their GP and/or other healthcare professionals continues to have primacy in identifying and agreeing the programme of treatment each person needs.
Care managers support and build on the professional care already provided, enhancing the relationships and improving the interactions people have with their GPs and/or other healthcare professionals.
GPs and/or other healthcare professionals can also encourage individuals enrolled in the Birmingham OwnHealth® programme to call their care manager for extra support and for help and advice on their condition when a visit to the GP is not essential.
What level of ongoing interaction do GPs have with the care managers?
Each care manager is dedicated to specific GP practices participating in Birmingham OwnHealth®. Part of the care manager's role is to work closely and build relationships with the clinicians and healthcare professionals in order to ensure they can best support and complement the work of the local primary healthcare team and together achieve the best health outcomes for individuals.
What is care management/disease management?
Care management/Disease management is proactive, structured and systematic support, encouragement and help for individuals with those long term medical conditions where changes in a person's lifestyle or behaviours can lead to significant benefits for the individual, and positively impact on healthcare services and resources.
Care management helps individuals to learn and understand the importance of eight key care priorities
- How and when to call the doctor
- About their conditions and set goals
- To take their medicines correctly
- To get recommended tests and services
- To act to keep the condition well controlled
- To make lifestyle changes and reduce risks
- How to build on strengths and overcome obstacles
- To follow up with specialists and appointments
Services based on these principles strengthen the quality and value of a person's relationship with their GP and/or local healthcare professionals. People become well-informed, motivated and progressively more independent in the management of their own health.
What are the benefits of care management?
Evidence shows that when people are empowered to take greater control of their own health and engage more effectively with healthcare services, their overall health, quality of life and satisfaction levels all improve.
The quality and value of a person's relationship with their GP and/or local healthcare professionals is strengthened and becomes more effective. People become well-informed, motivated and progressively more independent in the management of their own health and understand how to engage with and use their local healthcare services more effectively.
Increased levels of self-care positively contribute towards improving the health and wellness of individuals and UK population. It also plays a role in addressing the ever-growing burden on healthcare services and resources, helping the NHS evolve from a reactive sickness service towards a patient-centred one which encourages people to play a greater role in staying healthy.