LTCAS carries out work across a number of key areas which is led by its members who represent people living with long term conditions. Through this work we aim to make the lives of the 2 million people who live with long term conditions in Scotland better and more rewarding and reduce inequality and exclusion. We work jointly with a range of people and organisations, including people who live with long term conditions, unpaid carers, the third sector, the private sector, the NHS, local authorities and the Scottish Government.
The main work areas we are currently involved in include:
The Quality Strategy
The Scottish Government launched the Healthcare Quality Strategy in May 2010. The Strategy aims to make Scotland among the best in the world in terms of delivering high quality healthcare.
Children and Young People
Within the long term conditions agenda, the needs of children and young people are frequently overlooked. Children and young people are affected differently by long term conditions, tend to use a different range of services from adults, and have distinct needs.
Social Care
Many of the two million people who live with long term conditions in Scotland require social care to enable them to live well, self manage and access their right to independent, inclusive living.
Public Service Reform
In March 2011, LTCAS held a major national conference to consider the possible impact – good and bad – of public service reform on people with long term conditions.
Multiple Conditions
The dramatic rise in long term conditions represents a significant challenge for individuals, unpaid carers, families and services. This is compounded by the fact that people now commonly have multiple, rather than single, long term conditions.
Emotional and Psychological Support
Living with a long term condition often has a significant emotional and psychological impact. LTCAS members and people with long term conditions have consistently highlighted the need for this issue to be better recognised and for support to be improved.
Developing Asset-based Approaches
"A health asset is any factor or resource which enhances the ability of individuals, communities and populations to maintain and sustain health and well-being. These assets can operate at the level of the individual, family or community as protective and promoting factors to buffer against life’s stresses."
