Taking Control Back: The Expert Patients Programme

This week I have been pointed in the direction of the Expert Patients Programme which is a free self-management course run by volunteers who all have a chronic condition of some kind, for patients who have a chronic condition of any kind. It is a 6 week course of 2.5 hours per week in a group setting and provides structured support and real strategies for coping with the impact of chronic conditions, increasing confidence, learning coping strategies, dealing with relationships as well as meeting other people with chronic conditions.

The first person to tell me about the Expert Patients Programme was a friend via Facebook as I moaned about the length of wait for my various hospital appointments. Because I have moaned to everyone about it. A friend who has a chronic condition and said despite not completing the whole course, he found the sessions he attended useful in managing how he coped with coming to terms with his condition.

Almost immediately after, and completely separately, a very close friend of mine emailed me to say she had actually spoken to the manager of the local Expert Patients Programme which is run from the local voluntary guild (of which my friend is the ACO), about my condition and also that I am a trained group facilitator myself. The coordinator has lent me the workbook so I could take a look at the course structure before deciding whether to do it or not and it looks well structured, thorough, and informative.

One of the things that appeals to me about the course is that it is run by fully trained volunteers with their own chronic conditions, and thus able to support from a personal understanding as well as being trained to facilitate learning in a group setting. I also like that it is in a group setting. There is going to be a wealth of knowledge, experience, information and support from this type of group, with people who know, who are there, who understand what it is like to never take a break from pain and who want to take control of their lives once again. I am already, ironically, a group facilitator in a cognitive psychology based area, which in essence is what self-management is but I work with people who are largely not ready to take control of their lives, and so know how important it is to be ready to do courses like this for them to succeed and the idea of being able to use my own experiences to share with others and help others has piqued my interest.

I am quite a thorough person when finding out about informative aspects of my condition – ways of coping, medical information about what is going on in my back, practical techniques, and medicines, but, what I am not so great at right now is emotionally coming to terms with the impact of chronic back pain so the support that a group like this can bring, and that I can bring to others appeals to me.

It’s funny because when I was first struggling with the pain and devastating impact of this condition, namely being told by an osteopath that I should not kayak again, he suggested cognitive therapy. But, he talked it up (or down) as being that much of my pain was psychological and that I needed to get to grips with it emotionally. My instant reaction was ‘fuck you I am not struggling emotionally’ and I walked about, did not return to see him again. To be fair, he was a tosser of the first order and did nothing practical after his initial correct diagnosis other than delay my treatment and make me feel like I should Just Get On with It.

I am not sure if it is me that has changed my own perspective in the last year, or that this course has been presented in a much better way, but, I like the idea of seeing myself as an Expert of my own condition, of taking control back, and so I am not seeing this like some counselling session to ‘come to terms’ with my condition, but one where I become myself again. Unlike those I work with, I am now ready to take control of my own destiny.

I have also read about being a volunteer myself, and yes I know, got to do the course first and learn to be that Expert myself before teaching others, but, I already want to be a volunteer. My friend clearly knows me well as she has already told the manager to expect me to end up as a volunteer!

So, I am going to find out when and where the next Expert Patients Programme is, sign myself up for it and I will post my progress on the course and any useful tips I learn on the way.

If you are interested in finding out about an Expert Patients Programme in your local area, you can either contact them via telephone or email, details on their website, or you can read more about it on the NHS website detailing specialist services available. 

It’s worth mentioning that there is also a specific Back Pain Management course run by the NHS, which I may be offered through the NHS hospital lead Pain Clinic, which will teaches specific skills relating to my back condition, but to use this as a tool alongside other treatment, and when I have more information about that I will post details. In addition to these courses there are other courses available for specific chronic conditions such as diabetes and arthritis.