Self-care survey – What you told us and what happens next

Working together to enhance healthcare delivery for our communities.

Between November 2024 and January 2025, 2,485 people across Dorset took the time to share their thoughts in our self-care survey.

The self-care survey was to help us understand how confident people feel about looking after their own health and what support could help them do that more effectively.

This has been a great start in helping us understand where people feel empowered and where they may need more guidance.

Thank you to everyone who took part.

Your feedback is helping make a real difference to how self-care support is developed across general practice in Dorset.

 

Key findings

  • 72% of respondents feel confident managing their health

  • The NHS website is the most trusted source of health information, but many people also turn to Google and private websites

  • People want more support with:

    -Recognising serious symptoms

    -Managing chronic conditions

    -Understanding medications

    -Improving mental well-being

  • How pharmacies can help patients manage their health is not clear and are underused. There’s an opportunity to explain their use more as a first stop for minor illnesses.

How the Alliance are responding

We’re sharing your feedback with general practices and primary care networks so they can consider ways to strengthen self-care support locally.

Areas include:

  • Making trusted NHS resources easier to find
    Sharing self-care content for use on practice websites, newsletters, and social media channels.

  • Helping patients understand when to seek help
    Working with practices to support clearer messaging around self-care, pharmacy advice, or when to book an appointment.

  • Promoting pharmacy services
    Supplying materials that highlight how pharmacists can help with common conditions and medication queries.

  • Boosting digital health tools
    Highlighting recommended apps and online tools for tracking and managing health.

What’s next?

We’ll continue working with practices and networks to help make self-care support more accessible and relevant.

Your input is already informing how we develop resources and improve communication with patients.

In your words...

Anonymous quotes from the survey

Currently finding it hard to make changes that are necessary for my health. …I need to lose a significant amount of weight and increase activity to improve hypertension, cholesterol and mild fatty liver. I like being outside and active. I like healthy foods and can cook. But I cannot seem to achieve this even in small steps. I do wonder if it's menopause or mental health. I'd like to self refer to counselling but unsure how to.


I sometimes wonder who I should be contacting if I feel I need some advice when things go slightly wrong, when it’s not serious enough to go to A&E but serious enough to cause me concern, atrial fibrillation is a good example.


Knowing what is available to support my health as I care for family members with ill health.


Read about the series of health events happening in Blackmore Vale as a direct result of what people told them in the self-care survey.

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Blackmore Vale launches health event series in response to patient feedback

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Dorset general practice surgeries offering community support to those who need it most