Staff from the District Nursing teams across North Lanarkshire have received a Big Shout Out for the outstanding care they provide to patients within their own homes.
District nurses traditionally look after patients in their own home for those who are not able to attend treatment rooms or who require a procedure to be carried out in their own home for whatever reason that may be.
The team provide care for a huge variety of needs, often visiting patients’ multiple times a day on a regular basis.
Margaret Tougher, district nurse team leader for the Motherwell locality, said: “It’s good to get recognition from the Big Shout Out. We have a really hard working team and it’s great that they’re getting some recognition for the hard work that they do.
“District nurses are trained at much more advanced level. Now, they carry out clinical assessment, and they’re advanced prescribers as well, which ensures a much more advanced level of care that patients are receiving in their own home.
“I’m especially proud of my team, the way we work with our patients to deliver care that works for them.
“We’re involved heavily in developing a community nursing vision for the future. And that’s changing the way district nurses are trained with the Band 6 trainee programme. We are delivering care that works for our patients.
“We know our patients very well. We build up therapeutic relationships over time and we try and anticipate their needs. And we promote self care and independence where possible and we deliver a very high level of nursing care for patients in their own homes.
“We understand the pressures that our acute colleagues are under, so we try and help as much as we can in facilitating discharges from the acute and from hospice to allow patients to die in their chosen place where they would prefer to pass away.
“We provide a 24/7 cover for nursing care 365 days of the year.”
Caroline Martin, deputy associate director of nursing for University Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “Congratulations to the north community nursing teams for their incredibly well deserved Big Shout Out. They do a brilliant job of delivering person centred care, which helps people live their best lives in their own homes and in the community that they are part of.
“This is exactly the kind of excellent work which we’re seeking to build on with our new community nursing vision and model. This maps out what we’ll need to focus on in the coming years to ensure we best serve the people of North Lanarkshire.
“We’ve been completing a community nursing review, which involves thorough engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. This includes not only our patients, but also the community nursing staff and GPs in North Lanarkshire.
“This new vision and model, which has been developed from the review, sets out a shift in focus to ensure an appropriate and responsive service for our patients that is proactive, anticipates needs and prevents illness or further deterioration.
“We will do this by supporting the development of our nursing staff to ensure patients receive the right care at the right time, by the right people and in the right place.
“The purpose of the community nursing team is to provide an at home service of safe, effective care for people who cannot attend other care facilities because of disability, the effects of long term conditions or illness, as well as for those that that’s the best environment for them to receive their care.
“This is all the more important because we have a changing ageing population, which is living longer. So our community nursing services need to be geared up to match the increasing demands of patients who have increasingly complex health and social care needs. We’re really excited to be embracing change in our services and we’re really grateful for everyone who’s been involved so far in developing the new vision and model.”
The Big Shout Out praises NHS Lanarkshire teams for taking an innovative, creative, and patient-centred approach to working, and recognizes the unique contribution staff make to overcoming the challenges faced across the entire healthcare system.
