Self-care in the community: moving away from a culture of dependency.

As ever greater pressure is brought to bear by the current economic climate, one simple step may yield a very significant release of time and money. Leaders from primary care and the non-prescription medicines industry are in agreement that the time has come to break the national culture of dependency on the NHS, estimated to cost every general practice in England an average of £250 000 annually, equivalent to an astonishing £2 billion across primary care. It also actively denies people the confidence to take control of their own, and their families' health and therefore 'the opportunity to set up good behaviours for the longer term' according to Dr Laurence Buckman. This paper examines the role community nurses can play in helping to change this culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]