District Nursing Service guide

What is the District Nursing service?

District nursing is a branch of the nursing profession offering healthcare services in the community. It’s for people who are unable to visit the GP surgery and need nursing care, advice and support due to being permanently or temporarily housebound. We help people to maintain their independence and wellbeing.

The District Nursing Service has experienced nurses with a wide range of clinical skills and abilities to manage your care. District nurses work alongside GPs, specialist palliative care teams  and other healthcare professionals who may be supporting you, such as social workers, health visitors, therapists or care staff. They will make onward referrals where needed to support your needs to other teams such as speech and language, dietetic and falls teams.

If you are receiving palliative, end of life care, the team will manage your day to day care. However, if your symptoms are complex and difficult to manage, they will work with the specialist palliative care team to support and help plan your care. Whilst most of the care is given in the patient’s own home, district nurses also visit residential homes and may run clinics in GP surgeries and health centres.

The service provides a 24 hour nursing service, seven days a week. However, it is not an emergency service and if you need medical help fast, use NHS 111 online or by phone. For life threatening emergencies, please dial 999 or go straight to an A&E emergency department.

What the District Nursing Service can offer

Following a referral from hospital, your GP or another agency, a district nurse will perform a health needs assessment with you at home to discuss the help that you need.

What you can expect from the District Nursing Service

We provide care from a named nursing team, we treat you as an individual with respect, privacy and dignity and arrange the date and time of your visits based on what you need. The time of your visit can vary from day to day and while we try to provide continuity this cannot always be guaranteed.

We provide dressings and bandages, which may need to be prescribed by your GP or district nurse. Please note it is not the responsibility of the district nurse to to collect or deliver prescriptions.

An accurate record of your care will be documented electronically using a small portable computer, in addition to a paper file at home. Sometimes we need to share your information with other health and social care professionals on your behalf. Should you have any concerns regarding this, please speak to the nurse involved in your care.

We work in partnership with Willowbrook Hospice, Marie Curie, Queenscourt, Woodlands Hospice and IMPaCT.

Who is the service for?

The service provides nursing care to housebound patients. The length of time you receive care will depend upon your needs. The district nurse will identify with you when or if your condition means you can see a nurse in a treatment room. This will help nurses be available for other housebound patients.

The district nurses work closely with your GP and other families and carers to improve or maintain health and promote your independence.What can you expect?You can expect the district nurse to provide the following

• An assessment of your nursing need
• A plan of care that is agreed with you and your family or carer (if you wish), which will be revised as your condition change
• Care that is delivered in a way that respects your privacy, dignity and maintains your confidentiality at all time
• Support and advice to you, your family and carers in relation to your ongoing treatment. This may include advice regarding referral to other services that may be able to help you.

How to access the service

You can contact your team via your GP or any healthcare professional.

What we expect from you

Mersey Care staff aim to treat everyone fairly and consistently, and with dignity and respect. In return, we hope you will treat us in the same way, helping to ensure we are all free from undue stress and anxiety.

Please respect the nurse who takes care of you. Each year across the NHS, more than 75,000 staff experience physical violence and aggression, which is why we operate zero acceptance of racism, discrimination and disrespectful behaviours.

We support patients who are housebound, but if you are not housebound you will be expected to attend your GP surgery or local treatment room.

We have a duty to provide a safe working environment. Nurses have a professional duty of care to carry out hand hygiene at all visits to reduce the risk of infection. When they visit your home, they will need to wash their hands before and after the care given. You are encouraged to question the nurses if they do not comply with the hand washing routine.

We also politely ask that you and/or your carers do not smoke for at least an hour before the visit in the room where the nurse will be carrying out care for you.

We respect customs and differences, but district nurses need to wear footwear in your home for health and safety reasons. If you have any pets, particularly dogs, please keep them in a different room during
the nurse’s visit for hygiene reasons and staff safety. The only exception will be for guide or assistance dogs.

Our patients matter

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust listens and responds to patients and their carers to help improve the services we deliver.

If you have any comments or concerns, you can speak with a member of the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

Phone: 0800 328 2941 / 0151 471 2337
Email: palsandcomplaints@merseycare.nhs.uk
Website: merseycare.nhs.uk
Address: Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, V7 Building, Kings Business Park, Prescot, Liverpool. L34 1PJ

To request this leaflet in an alternative format or language, please contact the Equality and Diversity team

Phone: 0151 472 7458
Email: equality2@merseycare.nhs.uk