There is something slightly uncomfortable about the way we often talk about long term condition management.
It tends to focus on pathways, outcomes, efficiency. All important, of course. But it can sometimes drift a little too far from the day to day reality for patients and teams. The in-between moments. The gaps. The uncertainty that sits quietly between appointments.
And if we are honest, that is often where the real challenge sits.
Across England, long term care already accounts for over 79% of total adult social care expenditure, around £21.4 billion, which gives some sense of the scale and ongoing nature of need . It is not a small part of the system. It is, in many ways, the system.
For many services, continuity of care NHS wide is still something we are working towards rather than something consistently experienced. Patients might leave an appointment feeling reassured, clear on next steps… and then a few days later, questions creep in. Small ones, sometimes. Sometimes not.
This is where long term conditions self management becomes more than just a concept. It becomes practical, visible, something that either works in everyday life or it does not.
I think this is where digital starts to shift from being a ‘nice to have’ to something more meaningful.
Not in a big, transformational sense. Not all at once. But in small, structured ways.
The space between appointments
We do not always design services around what happens between appointments.
Yet that is where patients spend most of their time.
It is also where pressure quietly builds across services. Repeat queries. Clarifications. Reassurance seeking. None of it is unreasonable, but it does add up.
This is where the idea of continuity of care NHS services aim for becomes more tangible. Not just clinical continuity, but informational and emotional continuity too.
And perhaps this is where the NHS digital front door begins to play a more practical role.
We are already starting to see the impact of this. In London, for example, around 40% of NHS 111 requests are now handled online without a phone call, and 16,000 prescriptions are ordered digitally each day, reducing pressure on frontline teams .
When patients have access to clear, trusted information. When they know what is expected. When they can revisit guidance in their own time. It changes things, even if only slightly at first.
Over time, those small shifts start to reduce friction for both patients and teams.
Supporting, not replacing care
There is sometimes a concern that digital tools might replace elements of care.
In reality, we do not think that is what most services are trying to do.
It is more about supporting what already exists.
Good conversations. Clear clinical advice. Ongoing support. The challenge is that these things do not always extend easily beyond the clinic setting.
This is where long term conditions self management can be strengthened. Not by asking more of patients, but by giving them better tools to navigate what is already expected of them.
And again, the NHS digital front door becomes relevant here. Not as a single solution, but as an entry point into more consistent, structured support.
There is also a wider direction of travel. The NHS is working towards a model where the app becomes a “full front door” to services by 2028, giving patients access to advice, appointments, and long term condition support in one place .
Which, we suppose, starts to change expectations. Quietly, but quite significantly.
Starting small feels more realistic
One of the things we hear quite often is that services feel overwhelmed by digital change.
Which makes sense.
There are also broader pressures at play. Workforce shortages, for example, are already impacting patient experience and service capacity, making it harder to deliver consistent care at scale .
So perhaps the starting point is not transformation, but something smaller.
A single pathway. A specific condition. A focused group of patients.
Testing how digital can support communication between appointments. Seeing what works. Adjusting.
Over time, that builds into something more sustainable. Something that supports continuity of care NHS teams are aiming for, without adding unnecessary complexity.
And maybe that is the key point.
A more practical conversation
This is exactly what we will be exploring in our upcoming webinar:
Compassion meets continuity: enhancing long term condition services with digital apps
It is not intended to be a big, sweeping conversation about digital transformation.
It is more grounded than that.
We will look at the everyday challenges within long term condition management, why engagement often drops between appointments, and what small, structured changes can make a difference.
There will be real examples. Practical lessons. And hopefully, a sense that getting started does not need to feel overwhelming.
Because in the end, long term condition management is not just about systems or pathways.
It is about people. And how supported they feel in the moments when no one is directly there.
If that can be improved, even slightly, it tends to ripple outwards.
And that feels worth exploring.
Join the conversation
If you are thinking about how digital could support your service, or even just wondering where to begin, this might be a useful place to start.
Join us on 30th April at 2:00pm (BST) for a practical, honest discussion on how digital can support long term condition services without adding unnecessary burden.
You will leave with a clearer sense of what is possible, and perhaps a few ideas you can try straight away.
FAQs:
This session is designed for those working within long term condition services, including clinical leads, service managers, digital and transformation roles, and those involved in pathway design or patient engagement. If you are thinking about improving long term condition management in a practical way, it should feel relevant.
Not at all. In fact, this is often where the conversation starts. The session looks at small, realistic ways to begin, so it is just as useful if you are exploring ideas as it is if you already have something in place.
Not really. The focus is more on approach than specific tools. We will look at how digital can support continuity, communication and long term conditions self management, rather than promoting any one solution.
You will leave with a clearer understanding of how digital can support long term condition management, along with practical examples and a simple way to start. There is also a short readiness checklist you can use to reflect on your own service.