What people think of district nursing

Healthwatch Wigan and Leigh investigated patients' and carers' experiences of the District Nursing Service in the Wigan Borough. The research was carried out through an online survey alongside engagement events where individual comments were collected. Forty-one people's views on District Nursing were collected.

The report found that: people were happy with their experience of the District Nurse service; people preferred when the same team of nurses visited them; staff were regarded as well amnnered and pleasant; a phone line was offered to contact the District Nurse Team; family were involved when appropriate; and nurses were said to have the skills needed to treat most of the cases they were involved in. However, there were four key areas in which people were not completely happy. These included being treated as a whole person, continuity of care, support from other services and advice/information given. Some people felt there were not enough appointments available and it was not always communicated when they were cancelled. The phone line for the nurses operates by an answer phone, delaying the response. Finally, the personality of some nursing staff had an impact of care also.

Healthwatch Wigan and Leigh made a series of recommendations that included: Continue to prioritise continuity of care; provide a phone line that someone answers gives patients more confidence; when people receive care from the district nurses they expect them to bring right equipment; when a more holistic outlook existed, with DN’s enquiring about the patients wider wellbeing, people felt happier and more confident; Clear communication is needed to explain why appointments are offered (made available) in the way they are; In addition, clarity might be provided on the role of the district nurses, and whether they should be informing patients of other relevant services.