Better service for housebound people

Fri 21st March 2014

Housebound people in South Tyneside are to receive a better, more personal service from district nurses from next month.

A review of the district nursing service by NHS South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust means more vulnerable people with long term conditions who have mobility problems that prevent them from attending their GP surgery will now be offered routine monitoring of their condition in their own home.

The monitoring service for those with chronic diseases will be piloted in South Tyneside from April with a view to this being rolled out across the borough from June.

Jeanette Scott-Thomas, Head of Quality and Patient Safety at South Tyneside CCG, said: “The changes mean that all housebound people with chronic conditions will now have access to routine monitoring of their condition.

“We know that it is not always possible for some patients with serious mobility issues to come into GP practices so this new approach is far better for them.”

She added: “By visiting people in their own homes, the district nurses will be able to collect monitoring information on patients. This will be passed to the patient’s GP who will then be able to pick up earlier on signs that a patient’s condition is deteriorating, ensuring that care can be delivered quickly and effectively to help maintain the person’s quality of life.”

To enable the district nurses to provide this monitoring service for housebound people, some treatment room services previously delivered by them will now be offered by practice nurses. From 1 April practice nurses will carry out injections, suture removal and simple wound care. People wishing to book an appointment for any of these services should contact their local GP surgery.

District nurses will continue to offer treatments for the removal of ear wax, more complex wound care, leg ulcers and lymphoedema – a condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissue. From 1 April these services will be delivered from four hubs in South Tyneside at Hebburn Health Centre, Cleadon Park, Flagg Court and Boker Lane. To book an appointment with a district nurse, phone (0191) 4028172 Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 12.30pm.

0