Self care

Around 80% of all care in the UK is self care.

The majority of people feel comfortable managing everyday minor ailments like coughs and colds themselves, particularly when they feel confident in recognising the symptoms and have successfully used over-the-counter medicine before.

In many cases people can take care of minor ailments themselves, reducing the number of GP consultations and enabling health and care professionals to focus on caring for higher risk patients, the very young and elderly, managing long-term conditions and providing new services.

More cost-effective use of NHS resources also allows money to be spent where it’s most needed and help improve health outcomes.

More information about how to treat many common conditions at home can be found on the national NHS website: www.nhs.uk/conditions

Tips and advice from local clinicians