The government today heralded the creation of a new breed of "expert patients" with the skills and information to manage chronic diseases, such as diabetes and ME.

With support and training, ministers believe that patients can influence the treatment process and take the lead in managing their condition, instead of simply being recipients of care.

US research shows that helping patients through self-management groups can cut visits to the doctor by as much as 55%, saving valuable time and resources.

Pilot groups will be set-up by all primary care trusts between now and 2004 and, after an extensive evaluation, the programme will be rolled out across the NHS over the following three years.

Launching a report, The Expert Patient - A new approach to chronic disease management for the 21st century, the chief medical officer, Liam Donaldson, said the government was putting £2m into the project.

He added that the expertise and experience, developed by people who suffer from chronic diseases, can be turned into practical skills to enable the patient to manage their own condition.

"This will be an ambitious and challenging programme for the NHS, not an isolationist self-help movement," he said.

"Thirty years ago, the idea of patients taking a lead in their own treatments would have been out of the question. It has long been recognised that people with chronic diseases have considerable knowledge and experience of their own illness."

The programme applies to patients in England with chronic diseases, including cancer and ulcerative colitis.