1. Self Care for Life – Take Control 1 National Self Care Week Communications Information

2. Self Care for Life – Take Control 2 Self Care Week is an annual national awareness week that focuses on embedding support for self care across communities, families and generations. Each year there is a different theme for the campaign and for 2013, our theme is:  Self care for life – Take Control What is Self Care Week 2013?

3. Self Care for Life – Take Control 3  Theme: Self care for life – Take Control We want to inspire people to take control of their health and ultimately take control of their life. By becoming more health literate, we hope people will understand how to look after their health for life, taking care of their own minor ailments, managing more serious conditions and choosing healthy options that will impact positively on people’s physical health as well as their mental wellbeing and self esteem. The aim for Self Care Week 2013

4. Self Care for Life – Take Control 4 The Department of Health handed over organisation of Self Care Week to the Self Care Forum in 2011, and for two years it was a joint initiative. This year, NHS England will be a partner organisation. The Self Care Forum is the leading UK organisation dedicated to helping people help themselves by embedding self care into everyday life so that it becomes a life long habit. Who is involved in Self Care Week?

5. Self Care for Life – Take Control 5 The Self Care Forum‘s target audience is the NHS, voluntary and private sector organisations that are already communicating with people and carers responsible for managing minor ailments and long-term conditions. We see these organisations, as well as Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) as important partners in promoting and disseminating the messages of Self Care Week. Who is our Target Audience?

6. Self Care for Life – Take Control 6 As the organisers of Self Care Week, we hope to support you by providing national tools, messages and encouragement to help run local initiatives that target your own audiences under an overarching, national Self Care Week banner. In previous years, these local initiatives have included alcohol awareness, weight control, school education, minor ailment and long-term condition management. We hope this year’s theme of Self Care for Life – Take Control is broad enough to allow you to promote self care messages to all your target groups no matter what age or gender. We have specifically created it so that it is totally inclusive and gives you the flexibility to add self care messages with a physical as well as mental health focus. Supporting you to get involved

7. Self Care for Life – Take Control 7 We have devised a bank of key messages to help with your campaign. These are mostly themed around Self care for Life – Take Control with a physical and mental health focus. Some messages centre around careful use of health services. It is widely acknowledged that self care not only empowers the individual, it also lessens demand on the NHS. Pressures on the NHS are rising as a result of high demand and fiscal challenges that mean now, more than ever, people have to be supported to look after their own health, and their family’s health better. NHS Costs: GP consultation £43 / A&E Treatment £112 / District Nurse visit £39 Self Care Week Key Messages

8. Self Care for Life – Take Control 8 What are the key messages? MindPhysical / LifeYour NHS Get connected online, via mobile, with neighbours and your community Take control, know how to look after your health and your family’s health Use health services but don’t abuse health services Be responsible for your own health and mental wellbeing – take control Your health, your life, your future – stay healthy, your choice! By looking after your health today, the NHS will be there for you tomorrow Take control of your mind, body and soul – don’t sweat the small stuff! A 30 minute walk a day, keeps the hospital bed at bay! Self care for you, yours and your NHS Be mindful of your health, self and happiness! Do yourself a favour – choose the healthy option! Don’t misuse your NHS – make sure it’s still around when you really need it Take control of your health, be in control of your life Self care is not no careChoose well and get the right care at the right time

9. Self Care for Life – Take Control 9 This is a good time to raise awareness of what people can be doing to take care of themselves better, particularly those with long-term conditions. The time leading up to the winter months can prepare and inform the whole population at a time when seasonal illness tends be more prolific. The Week fits with existing national initiatives, including the National Pharmacy Association’s ‘Ask your Pharmacist Week’ (4-11 Nov) and the European Antibiotic Awareness Day (18 Nov), which makes the link with self care support for colds and flu. See slide 18 for a list of initiatives. Why run Self Care Week Now?

10. Self Care for Life – Take Control 10 The Self Care Forum will provide a generic communications toolkit, including the national campaign tools, resources and messaging, for local organisations to develop their own approaches to promote self care initiatives. The Self Care Forum’s website (www.selfcareforum.org) will act as a portal to promote a range of freely available Self Care Week information and resources, including web buttons, banners, posters and public-facing leaflets with Self Care Week messages. Post-campaign, the website will also act as a channel for local evaluation and success measures.www.selfcareforum.org What is the role of the Self Care Forum?

11. Self Care for Life – Take Control 11 Local organisations are encouraged to use the range of national resources freely available from the DH and Self Care Forum websites and adapt them to fit what they are doing locally to promote support for self care. It is hoped that local organisations and stakeholders will proactively look for opportunities to bring local self care activities and existing initiatives together and promote and run them under the national Self Care Week banner. This will enable local communities to target their own groups and maximise their own initiatives. What is the role of my organisation?

12. Self Care for Life – Take Control 12 There are many ways you can support Self Care Week. To get a flavour of the type of activities organisations have been involved with previously, please visit the Self Care Week 2012 review at: http://www.selfcareforum.org/events/self- care-week-review/http://www.selfcareforum.org/events/self- care-week-review/ A lack of resource should not be a barrier to involvement, the next slides gives suggestions on what you can do to start your own campaign. We hope that you will get involved and make Self Care Week YOUR Self Care Week How can I participate in SCW?

13. Self Care for Life – Take Control 13 Join in - a few ideas Limited resource Ensure your Chief Executive is aware of activity Link to other organisations’ self care initiatives Post details on internal and public-facing websites Mention Self Care Week 2013 in presentations and speeches Moderate resource Publish articles in public and staff facing newsletters and websites Tailor, print off and display posters in patient/staff areas Run awareness sessions for patients to talk to nurses about managing their condition; involve PPGs Create resources for local journalists Extensive resource Team up with local voluntary sector specialists on awareness raising activity Launch a self care initiative such as a cough/cold and flu campaign aimed at the general public and those vulnerable to these viruses and invite local media along

14. Self Care for Life – Take Control 14 A range of free resources and information is available to download from the DH and Self Care Forum websites, including:  Web buttons  Banner  Master presentation slide  Sample article  Range of free public-facing leaflets Go to www.selfcareforum.orgwww.selfcareforum.org Where can I download the resources?

15. Self Care for Life – Take Control 15 We plan to review the impact of SCW and hope you will do the same. If you aren’t able to commission an agency to carry out research into the campaign’s impact on patients and staff, here are other suggestions on low cost evaluations:  Use an online survey provider such as SurveyMonkey to ask target audiences how the campaign has impacted on the local community.  Search the internet for local campaign press coverage.  Keep track of the number of posters, leaflets, etc that have been distributed.  Monitor take up of any services/ initiatives launched.  For online content, find out the number of page views and click through. Please share your evaluations with us by emailing libby.whittaker@selfcareforum.orglibby.whittaker@selfcareforum.org Will it make a difference?

16. Self Care for Life – Take Control 16 Here are some of the organisations that we know of who are committed to participating in the campaign: Who is getting involved in SCW?

17. Self Care for Life – Take Control 17 OrganisationSelf Care initiativeDate National Eczema SocietyNational Eczema WeekSeptember 14 – 22 nd Working FamiliesNational Work Life WeekSeptember 23 – 27 th World Heart FederationWorld Heart DaySeptember 24 th Department of HealthStoptoberOctober 1-31 st United NationsInternational Day of Older PersonsOctober 1 st Harvey Ross BallWorld Smile DayOctober 4 th BackcareBackcare Awareness WeekOctober 7 – 11 th World Health OrganisationWorld Mental Health DayOctober 10 th National Osteoporosis SocietyWorld Osteoporosis DayOctober 20 th North West Strategic Health AuthorityChoose Well winter campaignOctober 29 th International Federation of Psoriasis Associations World Psoriasis DayOctober 29 th Community Hygiene ConcernNational Bug Busting DayOctober 31 st Roy Castle FoundationLung Cancer Awareness MonthNovember 1-30th British Dental Health FoundationMouth Cancer Action MonthNovember 1-30th Pancreatic Cancer ActionPancreatic Cancer Awareness MonthNovember 1-30th MovemberMovember – Men’s Health Awareness Month November 1-30th Psoriasis AssociationPsoriasis Awareness WeekNovember 1-7 th National Pharmacy AssociationAsk your Pharmacist WeekNovember 4 -11 th International Stress Management AssociationNational Stress Awareness DayNovember 6 th World Kindness MovementWorld Kindness DayNovember 13 th Self Care ForumSelf Care WeekNovember 18 – 24 th Allergy UKIndoor Allergy WeekNovember 11 – 17 th British Lung FoundationWorld COPD Awareness DayNovember 14 th International Diabetes FederationWorld Diabetes DayNovember 14th Department of Health/European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Antibiotic Awareness DayNovember 18th Alcohol ConcernAlcohol Awareness WeekNovember 19-25th Diary dates: other self care initiatives

18. Self Care for Life – Take Control 18 Self Care Week Action Plan What will we do?When will we do it?Who will do it?Cost implication? Determine what key messages will be used from Self Care Week Review existing health promotion initiatives to see if these fall under self care Relaunch existing initiatives under Self Care Week banner Identify a key need in the local community and create new Self Care Week initiative to tackle Post Self Care Week online button or banner on websites Link to other organisations’ self care initiatives that meet local health needs Include Self Care Week in presentations and speeches Publish articles in public and staff facing newsletters Distribute posters and leaflets Run an awareness session Create local media resources and tailor, e.g. how many A&E visits are for minor ailments

19. Self Care for Life – Take Control 19 We very much hope you will support SCW 2013 and we would be interested to know what you are doing so that we can share this with others involved. Your details will be included in one of our SCW newsletter that is circulated to like minded people with an interest in forwarding the reach of self care. Please send details to libby.whittaker@selfcareforum.orglibby.whittaker@selfcareforum.org We very much hope you will support SCW 2013 and we would be interested to know what you are doing so that we can share this with others involved. Your details will be included in one of our SCW newsletter that is circulated to like minded people with an interest in forwarding the reach of self care. Please send details to libby.whittaker@selfcareforum.orglibby.whittaker@selfcareforum.org What are you doing?