services | district nursing service
District Nurses provide free nursing care to people in their own homes who cannot go to their surgery or health centre. They also visit care homes and may also run clinics in GP surgeries. The district nurse team work with GP practices and have their offices either at the practice or health centre.
District nurse teams work closely with GPs, practice nurses and organisations involved in the care of people at home. These might include:
- Health Visitors
- Physiotherapists
- Counsellors
- Occupational therapists
- The palliative care team
- Specialist nurses
- Nurses in hospital.
They can offer services, such as:
- Care of wounds
- Advice and treatment for continence problems
- Psychological and social support
- Palliative and terminal care at home
- Rehabilitation after an operation, stroke or other illness
- Helping people to stay at home and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions
- Health promotion.
You are eligible to receive help from district nurses if you:
- Are unable to travel except by ambulance, to the surgery or hospital through illness or disability
- Are recovering from surgery
- Are in need of palliative care to ease painful symptoms
- Need treatment which is better to provide at home.
Referrals can be made by other health staff and by patients or their carers or members of the general public. District nurses can be contacted via the GP surgery.
People referred for urgent care will be seen within four hours during the working day.
For other referrals, the district nurse will make contact and arrange an appointment to visit you.
See Also: List of Services
