District nursing review

Findings

Responses from service users and their carers of the district nursing system in Lewisham in general rated the quality of the care given as good.

There was a trend that when the nurses arrived the care was good, and that as long as district nurses spent the necessary time to complete the care of the patient to their standard this was adequate.

There was some inconsistency in staff attitudes and their approach to the logistics around arrival times. These experiences had a lasting impact on the service users’ overall experience.

Coordination of services, communication and staff attitudes were the three main themes identified through the interviews.

All these issues can be addressed with the implementation of clear processes, protocols and training.