Authors: Carol Bond (Health and Social Care)
Alternative name suggestion: None
Brief theme summary: Personal health and wellbeing. Understanding personal concepts of health and wellbeing, especially for people who face additional health challenges. How healthcare systems and healthcare professionals can develop to support health and wellbeing.
Scope of theme: what is included? Concepts of health
Concepts of health in people who have additional health needs
Health care professionals (education, development, ethics, attitudes, culture, power)
Experience of people with additional health needs (i.e. living with long term conditions and disability)
People’s experiences of healthcare (systems, providers, treatments, care) – and using this to improve systems and care
‘New’ technologies in health, such as use of the internet, web 2.0 etc by people to support their own health needs and self management
Scope of theme: what is excluded? Medicine / Development of clinical procedures (focus should be on better understanding the ‘patient’ experience and using this to improve care)
Which big societal questions are addressed by this theme? How can publicly funded heathcare systems (the NHS) cope with the increase in people living with long term conditions
How can people be supported / encouraged to take more responsibility for managing their own health
How can the NHS achieve its aims of creating a ‘revolution for patients – “putting patients first” – giving people more information and control and greater choice about their care’
How do these link to the priorities of the major funding bodies? Not stated.
How does this theme interlink with the other BU themes currently under consideration? If the theme is Society & Social Change rather than culture and society I can see a link with this theme in the area of changing public expectations of health services and societies attitudes towards health (e.g. disability, body image, mental health) and the way that society impacts on personal health and wellbeing. There are also links with Aging, as a lot of people experience new health challenges along with the aging process.
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We agree with much of what Carol proposes however we see the theme as wider than her outlined `scope`. While the health and wellbeing of people with additional health needs is clearly very important as are health professionals, wellbeing emcompasses a much broader church of discipines and these should be acknowledged. As a university we have many strengths and the synergy this produces is powerful in itself. We are part of a much wider community and need to consider promoting wellbeing for the population.
I agree with Heather too. Health and wellbeing should be considered for all populations. Wellbeing in particular is an important consideration in the lives of all and a focus on this could help reduce future long term disability and long term conditions, especially in relation to mental health.