Dr Liza Thomas-Emrus, Clinical Lead GP, Special Interest in Lifestyle Medicine
Lisa Voyle, WISe, Operational Manager
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
The length of time people are waiting for treatment is growing rapidly and it is understood that the backlog is estimated to take up to five years to clear. This service offers opportunities to provide alternative non-medical intervention to improve people’s health and wellbeing whilst waiting for treatment.
Development of Wellness HUBs offers alternative non-medical intervention review to patients. The HUB will target patients who are currently on secondary care waiting lists for treatment and anybody requiring support to better manage long term conditions.
The purpose is to adapt the Population Health approach that aims to improve physical and mental health outcomes, promote wellbeing and reduce health inequalities across an entire population of Cwm Taf Morgannwg.
Aims of the programme:
- Reduce the risk of worsening health conditions whilst on waiting lists.
- Improve symptom control and reduce planned care demand.
- Ingrain self-management as part of a routine to improve health conditions.
- Reduce flow into secondary care lists.
Anticipated outcomes:
- Increased patient understanding of their condition.
- Improved health literacy.
- Reduced symptom burden.
- Less representations to the GP to request more medications for symptom management and less requests for expedite letters to secondary care.
- Patients present less to A&E for exacerbations of long term conditions.
- Patients improved readiness for change score.
- Reduction in patient weight/waist circumference.
- Increased number of patients engaged with community activity opportunities.
- Positive impact on patients health and wellbeing- GAD score.
- Increased number of patients removed from waiting list and using Patient Initiated Follow-up.
- Improved patient experience- measured through PROMS/PREMS.
- Increase in social prescribing and use of community assets- measured through elemental.
- Collaboration and integration of Community, Primary and Third Sector Care.
- Pathways agreed and developed in primary care to reduce secondary care flow.
- Patients activation levels improved.
- Integration of digital behaviour change and social prescribing tools.
Patient Outcomes:
Reductions in weight, BMI and waist circumference and improvements in blood pressure, stress levels and enhanced mood and wellbeing.
The attendance of patients at nutrition and physical activity opportunities with the related improvements in health.
Reduced social isolation and improved sense of vitality and life purpose with patients feeling less defined by illness and more optimistic about wellness.
Patients developing a sense of empowerment about their own ability to positively affect their long term health and an enhanced motivation to share their knowledge with their family and friends.
Programme findings / Benefits:
- 95% increased their physical activity score.
- 94% improved blood pressure.
- 80% reduction in weight.
- 83% improved waist circumference.
- 99% recommend to others.
- Uses evidenced based strategies.
- Patients can be referred from healthcare professionals or self-refer.
What next:
- Broaden scope to women’s health, dementia care and cancer.
- Digital inclusion – including AI cCach Bot for digital wellness coaching and online training platform.
