A HEALTH trust has introduced new measures to help support patients with long-term health conditions.

Sonya Park, who works part time as a district nurse in the Millom area, has taken on the additional role of assisting at-risk individuals to self-manage their long-term problems in the hope that it will prevent unplanned hospital admissions.

She said: “I want to assist people to live the life they want to live the best way they can, by preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and by having the right interventions and support in place in the hope their individual needs can be met at home”.

Depending on an individual’s needs, Ms Park spends up to six weeks with each patient, supporting them to improve their health and wellbeing. This may be by helping them access a wide range of groups or services available in the local community and assisting them in self-management of their condition.

Barrow doctor Dr Geoff Jolliffe said:“As a local GP I’m very pleased to see this case manager role working in our local community. As part of the Better Care Together plans it’s vital that we see more support offered outside-of-hospital: the vast majority of the people I see don’t want to be in hospital, they want to be in their own home or neighbourhood.

“To stay healthy and happy at home, people with long-term conditions such as diabetes, respiratory problems and high blood pressure will really value the support of a case manager like Sonya”.

Ms Park will work closely with the district nursing team.

Sally Carter, district nurse in Millom said: “Sonya will be coming into contact with patients who have nursing needs that may have previously gone undetected and unmet.

“In turn her role within district nursing services will mean that she may foresee gaps in our current service provision and care planning that can be bridged within her role.”