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Background Patient education is increasingly acknowledged as a powerful resource to help people understand and manage the impact of their illness and potentially modify behaviour and health beliefs. Many education processes focus exclusively on the patient, relying on them to manage aspects of their illness at times when they may be feeling anxious or distressed, e.g. breathlessness. Some health beliefs conflict and become a source of contention within families, e.g. nutrition, pain management and fatigue.Our therapy team piloted a systemic approach, inviting patients and unpaid carer(s) to attend holistic symptom management sessions together.Aims To educate and empower patients and their unpaid carer(s) to develop their knowledge, confidence and skills to adapt health beliefs and modify behaviour to manage specific aspects of illness.Methods With funding from Brent Health Matters we consulted with patients, unpaid carers and professionals to identify the topics they wanted us to address. The dominant issues included nutrition, breathlessness, mobility and fatigue. It was noted when these issues were identified in referrals, initial assessments or appointments, and relevant patients/unpaid carer(s) were invited to specific Partnership Learning Groups, facilitated by our physiotherapists/complementary therapists. Patients and/or unpaid carers could attend, and we encouraged them to attend together. Sessions included written and verbal information, resources, discussions and demonstrations.Results Most patients attended with an unpaid carer and they reported that learning together inspired confidence in self-managing some of their symptoms, particularly out of hours. The attendees also learnt from each other, which was meaningful and empowering. People specifically reported that it was likely to change the way they utilised other health services.Conclusion Partnership Learning Groups proved an effective use of time and resources, and learning together strengthened confidence and coping strategies, reducing anxiety and stress.