A Long Term Physical Health Condition (also known as a Chronic Condition) is a health problem that requires ongoing management over a period of years or decades.
A Long Term Physical Health Condition is one that cannot currently be cured but can be controlled with the use of medication and/or other therapies.
This includes a wide range of health conditions including:
- Non-communicable diseases (e.g. cancer and cardiovascular disease);
- Communicable diseases (e.g. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS));
- Certain mental disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, depression) and
- Ongoing impairments in structure (e.g. blindness, joint disorders).
Examples of Long Term Physical Health Conditions include:
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular (e.g. Hypertension, Angina)
- Chronic Respiratory (e.g. Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD))
- Chronic Neurological (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis)
- Chronic Pain (e.g. Arthritis)
- Other Long Term Conditions (e.g. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Cancer) etc.
The Five Year Forward View (FYFV) published by NHS England and its partners sets out the vision for the future of the NHS. It notes that ‘long term conditions are now a central task of the NHS; caring for these needs requires a partnership with patients over the longer term rather than providing single, unconnected “episodes” of care.’
This is particularly important in supporting the increasing numbers of people with more than one long term condition, more commonly known as multimorbidity; people living with frailty, and those in the last 12 months of their life – helping people with long term conditions to live well, age well and die well.
The Arch Medical Practice