Ross-on-Wye residents with long-term health conditions are invited to sign up for a free self-help course which starts next month and will be led by various tutors who have experience of living with different conditions.

These include Christine Hulbert, who lives near Ross-on-Wye, who was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago.

“We understand how long-term health conditions can significantly impact on a person’s daily life and the course is very much about giving people the space and time to consider their long-term health needs and develop plans to manage them,” said Christine.

“I attended a similar course when I was diagnosed with diabetes and it transformed the way I manage my condition. The Expert Patient Programme has helped improve many people’s lives as the tutors have first-hand experience of living with long-term health conditions.”

The course, run by Wye Valley NHS Trust, will improve participants’ general health, allow them to share experiences with others in similar situations and help improve communication with health care professionals.

A key element of the programme involves setting individual action plans - these help those taking part set achievable goals each week which improves their self-confidence.

“The important thing is that it’s a course to improve self-management and each individual is the expert in living with their own condition as they understand it better than anyone else.

“We’ll also be giving advice on how to get the best out of contacts with healthcare professionals – some people can find this difficult and we’ll be helping them get the best out of their appointments with consultants and doctors.”

The course is open to anyone over the age of 18 with any long-term health condition regardless of what it is. Previous participants manage conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, asthma, back pain, MS, ME Parkinson’s, depression and epilepsy.

The course in Ross-on-Wye starts on Tuesday, March 8th, and consists of six sessions which take place at the Larruperz Centre, from 10.30am-1pm.

Booking is essential. Anyone wanting to join the course should contact Sue Tobey, Expert Patient Programme co-ordinator, on 01432 364463 or 07814 477 709 or email [email protected]