Patient Education

Patient education and support should begin as early as possible to empower individuals to participate actively in their care and improve clinical outcomes. Involving patients, carers and family members helps build understanding of the core principles of effective lower limb management and supports adherence to long-term treatment plans.

Living with lower limb conditions can be physically and emotionally challenging. Patients may experience fear and uncertainty, low mood, reduced self-image and social isolation. Ongoing, accessible education throughout the care journey helps address these challenges by keeping patients and caregivers informed, involved and supported, enabling them to become active stakeholders and decision makers in both short and long term care.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a necessary shift towards self and shared-care models in lower limb management. Self-care remains a key NHS priority, enabling patients and carers to take an active role in managing health and wellbeing. In addition to improving patient experience and outcomes, effective self-care models support wider NHS objectives, including sustainability and the ambition to achieve Net Zero by 2040, through reduced travel, fewer face to face appointments and more efficient use of clinical resources.

LLCS offers a range of patient education resources, including a practical guide, My Lower Limb Care, which can be tailored to specific patient groups and aligned with local services and industry partners.

For more information, please see the self and shared care section…

Educational resources such as My Lower Limb Care place the patient at the centre of the services and support available to them. Understanding a medical condition is fundamental to effective self-management; without this understanding, engagement with care and treatment can be challenging.

This document supports patient understanding by explaining how the lower limb functions, how problems can develop and how these issues are managed. In addition, it provides information on the wider healthcare team involved in lower limb care, outlines available treatment options and includes practical diary sections for recording goals, challenges and pain.

Written in clear, accessible language, My Lower Limb Care serves as both a reference and a communication tool. It supports shared understanding between patients, their carers or family members and the multidisciplinary team involved throughout the patient’s care journey.