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District Nursing Service – Working Within Primary Care Homes

Overview

The District Nursing service delivers skilled nursing care and advice to patients within their own homes across the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area.

The service is offered to housebound patients over the age of 18 in order to provide assistance in the management of their health needs. We carry out visits 7 days per week, 365 days a year.

The team’s primary role is to provide high quality nursing assessment, clinical care and advice to people who are temporarily or permanently housebound. They may also see patients in a clinic setting. Following a full assessment, team members will work in partnership with patients, carers, other healthcare professionals, social services, charities and the independent sector to provide personalised packages of care. We provide education and support to promote independence and patient choice.

Some of the services provided by the district nursing team include:

  • Medicines management (where appropriate, supporting the self-administration of non-oral medication)

  • Palliative and end-of-life care (supporting patients and their carers, referring to other services as required)
    - Providing end-of-life care in an individual’s preferred place of care
    - Symptom management
    - Bereavement support

  • Wound management (post-surgery or injury, chronic wounds)
    - Leg ulcer
    - Pressure ulcers

  • Bowel and bladder management (assessment, management and education)

  • Health promotion (support and advice to help people lead healthy lives)

Referrals

The district nursing service accepts referrals for assessment from anyone. Home visits are provided for people who are housebound.

Patients will be deemed housebound if they are unable to attend appointments or carry out activities outside the home, such as going to hospital and GP appointments or hair appointments, shopping etc.

Patient housebound status will be reviewed by the clinical team throughout their care and, if no longer assessed as housebound, referral for treatment will be made to their GP surgery.


Contact

East Coast Community Access (ECCA): 01493 809977 - our operational hours are 7 days a week, 365 days a year, between 7am-8pm.

Outside of these hours, please phone Medicom on 01603 481234. Medicom will take your details and pass the information to our nurses.

PCH opening times: The PCH service operates 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. Our core hours are 08:30am – 4:30pm. A limited service is available outside of these hours for urgent issues.

 Find out more about Primary Care Homes