LETTER TO THE EDITOR
A letter to the editor re: ‘Relationships between community nurses and other health-care professionals’
D
Coordination
ear editor,
I read with interest Brian Nyatanga’s recent article ‘Relationships between community nurses and other health-care professionals’ (BJCN volume 19, issue 2). The article highlights, very helpfully, the plethora of practitioners, including community nurses, who could potentially be involved in an individual patient’s care. I feel that the following points could perhaps have been brought out more forcefully.
Accountability While it is essential (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) that each practitioner can demonstrate their own accountability for their practice, it is of paramount importance that somebody is identified to take overall accountability for the quality of care provided in such complex situations.
© 2014 MA Healthcare Ltd
District nurse’s role With a title such as ‘Relationships between community nurses and other health-care professionals’, I feel the role of the district nurse as a key practitioner in supporting people with complex needs in the community could be strengthened. The majority of patients on district nurses’ caseloads are patients with highly complex needs involving multiple services, where collaboration between those services is central to their care, as highlighted by Nyatanga. By virtue of their specialist community education preparation (NMC, 2002), district nurses are well equipped to take the lead in such situations. As well as working across health and social care, district nurses are ideally placed in terms of having the knowledge of local community services. They have the advanced communication skills to establish relationships with those who need to be involved, and the sensitivity to act as an advocate for the patient and their family. As the leader of a community nursing team, the district nurse takes a lead in holistic assessing, planning, delivering and reviewing clinical and broader holistic care to ensure the delivery of high-quality care that meets the needs of patients and their families and carers.
When asked what they want from their health-care providers, coordination is one of the key issues raised by patients (Department of Health (DH), 2008). As well as wanting a care provider who is caring, competent, knowledgeable and provides holistic seamless care, patients want a care partner who works with them and their families to plan their care; they want a champion who puts their interests first and protects them when they are vulnerable; and they want a coordinator who is constant, accessible and accountable for communicating their plan and monitoring the delivery of care. The district nurse’s role as exactly this coordinator has been cited within the ‘call to action’ for local development and implementation by the DH in their vision for district nursing (DH, 2013, p. 19):
‘District nurses lead and co-ordinate an holistic assessment and whole system approach through key working.’ In conclusion, my experience leads me to suggest that unless such points are made clear, patients and their families can truly flounder. From Elaine Ryder, MSc, BA, DNT, RNT, Cert Ed, CPT, DN, RGN Department of Health (DH) (2008) Confidence in Caring: A Framework for Best Practice. http://tinyurl.com/pdex54f (accessed 28 February 2014) Department of Health (DH) (2013) Care in Local Communities A New Vision and Model for District Nursing. http://tinyurl.com/p8o8w65 (accessed 28 February 2014) Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2002) Standards for Specialist Community Education and Practice. http://tinyurl.com/nqljoz9 (accessed 28 February 2014) Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) The Code: Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives. http://tinyurl.com/ ps6ku9m (accessed 28 February 2014) Nyatanga B (2014) Relationships between community nurses and other health-care professionals. Br J Community Nurs 19(2): 100
BJCN welcomes letters commenting on previously published articles, or any subject relating to district nursing. Email your thoughts to [email protected] now!
British Journal of Community Nursing April 2014 Vol 19, No 4 British Journal of Community Nursing 2014.19:203-203.
203
A letter to the editor re: ‘Relationships between community nurses and other health-care professionals’
D
Coordination
ear editor,
I read with interest Brian Nyatanga’s recent article ‘Relationships between community nurses and other health-care professionals’ (BJCN volume 19, issue 2). The article highlights, very helpfully, the plethora of practitioners, including community nurses, who could potentially be involved in an individual patient’s care. I feel that the following points could perhaps have been brought out more forcefully.
Accountability While it is essential (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) that each practitioner can demonstrate their own accountability for their practice, it is of paramount importance that somebody is identified to take overall accountability for the quality of care provided in such complex situations.
© 2014 MA Healthcare Ltd
District nurse’s role With a title such as ‘Relationships between community nurses and other health-care professionals’, I feel the role of the district nurse as a key practitioner in supporting people with complex needs in the community could be strengthened. The majority of patients on district nurses’ caseloads are patients with highly complex needs involving multiple services, where collaboration between those services is central to their care, as highlighted by Nyatanga. By virtue of their specialist community education preparation (NMC, 2002), district nurses are well equipped to take the lead in such situations. As well as working across health and social care, district nurses are ideally placed in terms of having the knowledge of local community services. They have the advanced communication skills to establish relationships with those who need to be involved, and the sensitivity to act as an advocate for the patient and their family. As the leader of a community nursing team, the district nurse takes a lead in holistic assessing, planning, delivering and reviewing clinical and broader holistic care to ensure the delivery of high-quality care that meets the needs of patients and their families and carers.
When asked what they want from their health-care providers, coordination is one of the key issues raised by patients (Department of Health (DH), 2008). As well as wanting a care provider who is caring, competent, knowledgeable and provides holistic seamless care, patients want a care partner who works with them and their families to plan their care; they want a champion who puts their interests first and protects them when they are vulnerable; and they want a coordinator who is constant, accessible and accountable for communicating their plan and monitoring the delivery of care. The district nurse’s role as exactly this coordinator has been cited within the ‘call to action’ for local development and implementation by the DH in their vision for district nursing (DH, 2013, p. 19):
‘District nurses lead and co-ordinate an holistic assessment and whole system approach through key working.’ In conclusion, my experience leads me to suggest that unless such points are made clear, patients and their families can truly flounder. From Elaine Ryder, MSc, BA, DNT, RNT, Cert Ed, CPT, DN, RGN Department of Health (DH) (2008) Confidence in Caring: A Framework for Best Practice. http://tinyurl.com/pdex54f (accessed 28 February 2014) Department of Health (DH) (2013) Care in Local Communities A New Vision and Model for District Nursing. http://tinyurl.com/p8o8w65 (accessed 28 February 2014) Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2002) Standards for Specialist Community Education and Practice. http://tinyurl.com/nqljoz9 (accessed 28 February 2014) Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) The Code: Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives. http://tinyurl.com/ ps6ku9m (accessed 28 February 2014) Nyatanga B (2014) Relationships between community nurses and other health-care professionals. Br J Community Nurs 19(2): 100
BJCN welcomes letters commenting on previously published articles, or any subject relating to district nursing. Email your thoughts to [email protected] now!
British Journal of Community Nursing April 2014 Vol 19, No 4 British Journal of Community Nursing 2014.19:203-203.
203
