The Self-Care Forum’s recent UK‑wide study – the Living Self-Care Survey Study – shows that nearly nine in ten adults feel confident maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and over 90% believe they can manage common illnesses independently. Yet many healthcare professionals still perceive patients as reluctant or poorly informed, creating a mismatch that limits progress and undermines one of the few scalable solutions to rising demand in primary care. This contradiction lies at the heart of the problem.

This disconnect is fuelled by differing definitions of self‑care, gaps in health literacy, and structural barriers such as time‑pressured consultations and inconsistent messaging. The public is willing and ready; the system is not yet designed to support them.

Embedding self‑care into routine primary care — supported by clear information, stronger partnerships, and multidisciplinary teams — would help people make informed decisions, reduce pressure on services, and improve outcomes across the NHS. The public has already moved. Policy, practice, and professional culture must now follow.