Dear GP

            I have recently completed the six week ‘Expert Patients’ Programme’ organised by Stockport PCT and thought it might be useful if I recorded and passed on to you my impressions and conclusions.

            I only became aware of the Programme after picking up ‘The Stockport People’ Issue No. 27 whilst sitting in your Practice Waiting Room and subsequently spotting an advert for it whilst reading through that publication at home.  Amongst the problems the Course was said to address was ‘Living with Chronic Pain’ and as I have now added Sciatica to my longer standing conditions and it was that day in an acute phase, I thought ‘why not’?

            I have found the Course valuable in a number of ways.  There were about a dozen of us to start with and the majority have seen it through.  I may be wrong, but I think fellow members might well agree, that we have learned much from each other and that has been as important as the formal course material.

            The booklet ‘Self-management of Long-term Health Conditions’ which was distributed at the opening session is at first sight a formidable document.  It is probably fair to say that it contains something and often quite a lot to help sufferers of the vast majority of conditions capable to self-management.  It think it should also be said that it is best worked through preferably in a group or at minimum a one-to-one setting.  There are sections which could lead one to being too self analytical and introspective.  Additionally I would say that Chapter 5 ‘Exercises’ needs to be approached and undertaken only if one’s condition has been previously fully diagnosed.

            The Course is well constructed and the two and a half hour sessions passed quickly.  The ‘brain-storm’ interludes when members contributed experiences, reactions and suggestions were particularly interesting and stimulating – one realised how much common ground there was amongst a group of people who had previously been strangers and were carrying so many different human conditions.

            In conclusion, I would commend the Course to others amongst your patients and would suggest that it merits more attention being drawn to it?

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Dear GP

Having seen an advertisement in the local ‘freebie’ paper which interested me, I contacted the people concerned and enlisted for a six-week course, the course being entitled, ‘Coping with poor health’ and held at a local venue.  On my first visit I was told it was being run by the Primary Care Trust as part of the NHS initiative.

 We were all given a comprehensive manual, which was initially published in the US, though fortunately written in English English.  The book is informative and we have had weekly discussions on the various chapters.  It was interesting to listen to others points of view.

 I am pleased to find that I appear to follow many of the suggestions and realise that commonsense plays a great part.  Although to me it is sometimes stating the obvious and realise that not everyone is necessarily blessed with commonsense or perhaps very little.  Therefore the manual will point people in the right direction, so hopefully will be of great value to one and all.  Not only does the manual raise issues about health, but also legal matters and most importantly exercise programmes as you would wish.