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What is Activation?

A positive change in activation for a person/patient can lead to positive changes in self-care behaviours which improves health and care outcomes and reduces demand on the healthcare system. 

Activated staff are more innovative in the workplace and attentive to their own health and wellbeing for the benefit of themselves, their patients and colleagues. 

Why is Activation important?

People are living longer with more long term and chronic conditions many of which are preventable and levels of frailty are rising.  

The National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) has been working in partnership with a number of systems to embed population health improvement to meet this challenge.  Facilitating health creation, through activating the staff and people in those populations to gain hope, purpose and mastery over their lives.  The result of this work is staff actively leading population health improvement and people in those populations are living healthier lives with improved resilience and wellbeing. 

The evidence for Activation

The evidence from our work on activation shows that as a persons’ activation increases, people experience: 

  • Improved health outcomes as people engage in preventive behaviours (eat more healthily, move more within their capability, sleep better and make connections),  
  • More satisfaction in their professional role  
  • Utilise less health and care resources over time.  

A 1-point rise in patient activation is correlated to a saving of up to 5 GP contacts per patient per year and a 1-point rise in activation is correlated to primary and secondary care demand savings of £327 per patient per year. 

Importantly we know from this work that someone who is able to take care of their health very well costs the NHS £981 less per year compared to somebody who is not able. We also know that activated staff start to experience more satisfaction and joy at work. 

 

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got

The ideal is to have a system where we can clearly see: 

  • Activated staff – staff who are motivated to make changes to benefit both themselves and their patients, 
  • Activated communities who recognise the importance of being proactive in their health and wellbeing, 
  • An improvement in health and wellbeing for all 
  • A reduction in health and social care costs 
  • Better outcomes for people. 
If you would like to know more about our work on activation, please contact napc@napc.co.uk