PEOPLE in Sedgefield borough living with a chronic medical condition are being offered a chance to become expert patients.

The Expert Patient Programme is a national scheme developed by the Department of Health, which offers courses to help people manage their condition or illness more effectively.

The courses have already proved a huge success in Sedgefield, with a total of 45 people completing them.

The next course, organised by Sedgefield Primary Care Trust and the Pioneering Care Centre, starts on Friday, June 13, at Jubilee Fields Community Centre, in Shildon.

The courses are designed to run alongside medical treatments and some of the benefits can include less severe symptoms, less pain, greater self-confidence and a better quality of life. The sessions are led by tutors who have long-term conditions.

To find out more, or to attend the next course, contact Claire Kippin on 0191-301 3813, or Chris Wright on 0191-301 1300