Figures from 4,000 appointments shows patients feel more motivated and in control with personalised care
The Personalised Care Institute (PCI) celebrates its one year anniversary this month and is encouraging healthcare professionals to ‘make it a month of firsts’ by taking its free online Core Skills module as a first step in their personalised care training journey.
To mark the occasion, the PCI is publishing new data, based on patient experiences from 4,410 appointments, which showed that when patients receive personalised care, they are statistically significantly more likely to understand the advice given, feel motivated to follow it, find it easy to follow, feel in control of their recovery and feel listened to and valued*.
Nine out of 10 people said that they felt that a personalised care approach to healthcare – which was outlined as a key focus in the NHS Long Term Plan – would help them to manage their health issue more effectively.
The PCIs online Core Skills module is completely free, takes just 60 minutes to complete and all learners get a Certificate of Learning as proof of professional development. Data shows that nine out of 10 (87%) healthcare professionals that have completed the course say it will have a positive impact on their day-to-day practice.
Dr Pauline Foreman, clinical director at the PCI, said: “We’d like to thank the thousands of health and care professionals that have already completed our courses and taken that all-important first step in their personalised care training journey and we hope that many more will join them this month.
“Our latest research shows just how much personalised care helps patients which is why training is so important. Our free courses are suitable for all health and care professionals, regardless of profession or seniority and across all health settings. I’d encourage all healthcare professionals to invest in their learning and development in this area and help to really drive change to empower patients.”
A personalised care approach to healthcare places all patients at the centre of their care and changes the focus from “what’s the matter with you” to “what matters to you.” In just the first year alone, the Core Skills module has been completed by professionals representing more than 25 disciplines, including physiotherapists, midwives, GPs, nurses and paramedics.
The Personalised Care Institute is backed by NHS England and Improvement and supported by 40+ key health organisations, including royal colleges, key professional associations and patient groups. It is the home for personalised care professionals, sharing research, education and knowledge with an international audience. The PCI is working towards the NHS Long-Term Plan target to train 75,000 healthcare professionals by 2024.
For more information and to access the courses, including the 60 minute Core Skills course, visit: https://www.personalisedcareinstitute.org.uk/
*The survey asked patients about their healthcare appointment experience and whether they were ‘asked what matters to you, given options and/or involved in the final decision’ (classed as personalised care) or ‘told what you should do and/or not asked how the advice would fit with your lifestyle’ (classed as non-personalised care). The below table compares the outcomes of those two approaches with the coloured cells identifying where the difference between the two is ‘statistically significant’. The research was commissioned by the PCI and carried out by Sapio Research in June 2021.
| Thinking about the days and weeks that followed your appointment, which of the following do you believe to be true? | Personalised care | Non personalised care |
| I found it easy to follow the advice given | 40% | 35% |
| I felt that I understood the advice I was given | 41% | 33% |
| I felt listened to and valued | 38% | 22% |
| I felt motivated to follow the advice given | 32% | 21% |
| I felt in control of my recovery | 32% | 21% |
| I felt pain/discomfort for longer than expected | 15% | 19% |
| I recovered slower than expected | 14% | 17% |
| I had to book an extra appointment that wasn’t planned | 13% | 12% |
| I felt unsure about whether I was following the advice correctly | 10% | 11% |
| I stopped following the advice sooner than I intended | 9% | 9% |
