by Helen Donovan, M.Ed. BSc. RN, RHV, Queen’s Nurse, FRSPH. Self-Care Forum Chair. Independent nurse consultant and immunisation specialist nurse.
Public health campaigns have shaped the UK's health for nearly two centuries. From Victorian sanitation reforms to modern NHS initiatives, they have helped change behaviours, influence policy and improve lives. Their success comes from a consistent formula: clear messages, trusted messengers and practical actions repeated often enough to become habits.
That lesson remains important today.
Prevention shiftAs the NHS seeks to shift from treating illness to preventing it, self-care has a critical role to play. The NHS 10-Year Health Plan sets out three major shifts: from sickness to prevention, from hospital to community, and from analogue to digital. It also emphasises personalised care, reducing health inequalities and helping people take a more active role in their health. These ambitions recognise that healthcare services alone cannot create a healthier nation.
Self-care is an essential part of the solution.
This is particularly true in adult social care, where maintaining the health and wellbeing of those receiving care and those providing it is vital. Supporting carers to look after their own physical and mental health is crucial, as an immunisation specialist nurse I would advise all carers to take up preventive measures such as seasonal flu vaccination. It helps protect vulnerable people and reduces disruption to care in communities.
National Self-Care WeekNational Self-Care Week, organised by the Self-Care Forum and taking place from 16-22 November 2026, provides an opportunity to promote the knowledge, confidence and skills people need to care for their physical and mental wellbeing. This year's theme is Mind & Body, reflecting the strong connection between mental and physical health and the role both play in helping people live well.
The importance of self-care is reinforced by findings from the Living Self-Care Survey, conducted by the Self-Care Forum and Imperial College London's SCARU.
People don’t recall public health recommendationsThe research found that many people are unable to recall key public health recommendations, including guidance on physical activity and alcohol consumption. Importantly, the challenge is not simply a lack of information. Awareness does not always lead to action.
The survey also identified differences in self-care confidence across the population. Older adults reported higher confidence in their self-care knowledge, while people with disabilities and long-term conditions reported lower confidence. Financial pressures, lack of time and motivation were also barriers to practising self-care.
These findings highlight the importance of health literacy and the need for public health messages that are easy to understand, relevant and repeated consistently over time. As health services become increasingly personalised and digitally enabled, people need the confidence and skills to access, understand and use health information effectively.
This aligns closely with the NHS 10-Year Health Plan. Prevention depends on people having the knowledge and motivation to adopt healthier behaviours. Delivering more care in communities requires individuals to feel confident managing their health and long-term conditions.
Success is about more than just sharing informationHistory shows that successful public health campaigns do more than share information. They make healthy behaviours feel achievable and normal. Campaigns such as Smokefree, 5 A Day and flu vaccination programmes succeeded because they combined evidence-based messages with trusted local and national voices.
The same principles apply to self-care. Self-Care Week brings together health, social care, education, local government, workplaces and community organisations to promote healthier behaviours, improve health literacy and build confidence in self-care. Through simple actions and consistent messages, awareness can turn into action. Self-care is not "no care" - it is supported care, helping create healthier communities and supporting NHS ambitions for prevention and reducing health inequalities.
Find out more
The Living Self-Care Survey Study https://www.selfcareforum.org/self-care-forum-research/
National Self-Care Week https://www.selfcareforum.org/events/self-care-week/
The Self-Care Forum https://www.selfcareforum.org/
seen at 16:37, 2 November in Social care.