Is care for people with long-term conditions ‘proactive’, ‘preventive’ and ‘patient centred’?

Long-term conditions (LTCs), such as diabetes and arthritis, are those for which there is no cure and that are usually managed with drugs and other treatment measures (Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), 2012). Around 15 million people in England have one or more LTC, accounting for 70% of healthcare expenditure (House of Commons Health Committee, 2014), and this figure is rising. In addition to this, the NHS is dealing with an ageing population and ongoing staffing issues. It is easy to see why, as a result, the organisation has been described as overwhelmed and in a humanitarian crisis; at times, these pressures have led to frustrated patients with LTCs who receive care that is inconsistent and fragmented (Care Quality Commission (CQC), 2018).

In a recent appearance, distinguished public sector leader Lord Bichard (2018) described how care will improve with ‘more joined-up services’ and by ‘devolving power away from the state’. Similarly, Croisdale-Appleby (2018) described the absolute necessity for integrated health and social care to improve the provision of care. The disjointed way of sharing information about a patient across the many branches of the healthcare system is not efficient or helpful for the patient (DHSC, 2012). High-quality care should be provided to people living with LTCs by shared management of the caseload across care settings and multidisciplinary teams.