DARLINGTON residents are invited to share their experience with living with a long-term health condition.

A ‘long-term condition’ is a condition that can’t be cured, but can be controlled.

Such conditions include: diabetes, heart disease and stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, AIDS/HIV, asthma, coronary heart disease and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Agencies including Darlington Borough Council, Darlington Association on Disability (Dad) and Darlington Clinical Commissioning Group are encouraging sufferers to come forward.

The information gathered will help to provide agencies delivering health and social care services with insights from people with such conditions.

It will lead to an improvement project being launched, which will be referred to as the ‘Long Term Conditions Collaborative’, to help understand the challenges faced by residents.

Councillor Andy Scott, the council’s cabinet member for health, said: “We all need to take responsibility for our own health and I urge as many long-term health condition sufferers to take the opportunity to get involved to help shape future health services.”

Dad is undertaking 50 interviews with people who live in the borough who have a long term condition.

If you are interested in being interviewed as part of this process, call Tracy Roberts on 01325-489999 or email tracy@darlingtondisability.org

  • Meanwhile, the Darlington branch of the MS Society has urged people living with the condition to access the help and services it provides.

The group holds regular meetings at Darlington Rugby Club and can help people with MS to access mobility aids and other help.

For more information, call committee member Graham Newton, on 01325-367311.