Focus on: nursing care at home
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Healthwatch Kent carried out a project to gather feedback from people receiving nursing care at home on the Isle of Sheppey. Information packs were distributed to around 700 patients receiving care from Virgin Care, inviting them to share their experiences through questionnaires, phone calls, emails, texts or home visits. Nineteen people responded.
Most respondents were older people or people with disabilities who received regular nursing visits at home. Feedback was generally positive, with many praising the care, support and attention provided by community nurses. Patients spoke positively about the quality of care they received and the relationships they had developed with nursing staff.
Some concerns were raised about communication, particularly difficulties contacting Virgin Care and frustrations with the call centre. A number of patients also reported that they had not been offered a choice about the timing of appointments, although most said they knew how to request changes if necessary.
Overall, Healthwatch concluded that feedback about nursing care at home was largely positive, but recognised the challenge of engaging with housebound patients. The findings were shared with Virgin Care and commissioners, while Healthwatch committed to exploring new ways to gather feedback from people receiving care at home in the future.