The Leg Club joins the Health Share on-line community

Press Release

For immediate release

4th June 2021

Leg Club Network working in partnership with health-shared.com virtual community team

The Leg Club Network has started a collaborative partnership with doctors from the Imperial College London who are working together to develop a virtual ‘Community of Practice’ to help make information for and about people with lower limb conditions more accessible.

Health-shared.com, a Web App, was developed by a group of consultant Vascular Surgeons including Mr Usman Jaffer and Professor Alun Davies of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to ensure the voice and expertise of the patient is better represented in healthcare information.

Partnerships were established with key healthcare stakeholders to create relevant and engaging communities which allow users to source information from a quality assured online resource established by healthcare providers and other people who have been in the same situation.

The person-centred interactive App is based on a ‘Community of Practice’ model and allows users to personalise and curate their content and share their stories and experiences online. Users can search community portals relevant to their condition for information, get answers to their questions from experienced healthcare partners and discuss their own experiences. The Leg Club, and health-shared.com are engaging with patients, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vascular and Venous disease and the Self-Care Academic Research Unit (SCARU) at Imperial College London (led by Dr Austen El-Osta) to investigate the extent that CoPs can help with patient activation and supported self- management thus leading to improved quality of life and clinical outcomes.

The Leg Club Network was one of the healthcare partners invited to create and share content on health-shared.com and it now supports two community portals: (1) The Leg Club Community, which focuses on the Leg Club model of care, and

(2) The Leg Club Support Community which aims to support issues from a sociological aspect, loneliness and isolation.

Ellie Lindsay OBE, Lifetime President of the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation said: “The last year has made us all reflect on how we communicate and reach out to people and as a result the Leg Club Network is working hard to increase its online presence. Health-Share.com is the perfect platform for us to utilise and share the work we have created with a virtual Leg Club community and beyond and we are delighted to be a partner in this project.”

You can sign up either as a healthcare professional or patient here:

https://health-shared.com/

Notes to editors:

1) Leg ulcers (and other chronic leg problems like lymphoedema) can affect people at any age but are particularly common in people over 60. At present, over 80 per cent of all leg ulcers are treated in the individuals’ own homes by district nurses or by practice nurses in GP surgeries. However, people often find it difficult to adhere to treatment plans, or to maintain the preventive measures needed to avert recurrence of the ulcer. Many leg ulcers consequently reoccur or remain unhealed for many months or even years.

2) The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation exists to promote the national development of Leg Clubs. The Foundation also provides the necessary support and training for nurses to establish Leg Clubs and follow the Foundation’s guidelines, as well as ongoing training in new developments in leg care.

3) The Leg Club is an innovative model of care that has been shown to improve the health and wellbeing of people with chronic leg and foot conditions. Recent findings from Leg Club data analysis have identified that potential savings could be made by healthcare providers in relation to their wound care budget. A Leg Club is a local partnership between practice and community nurses, patients and the community. Run by a committee of volunteers each Leg Club operates according to strict guidelines of care, monitored by the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation. The Leg Club title, the wording and logo are protected by Registered Trademark in the UK.

For further information about the Leg Club Foundation and Leg Clubs visit:

www.legclub.org

For media enquiries please contact Juliette Lobley on 01473 806605 or emailjuliette.lobley@legclubfoundation.com