Community Clinical Nurse Specialists

Transcription

1 Community Clinical Nurse Specialists

2 Strathcarron Hospice is a registered charity which provides palliative care. Our aim is to improve quality of life for patients and their families facing the problems associated with lifelimiting illness.

3 Strathcarron Hospice Introduction Community based care is an important component of the care provided by Strathcarron Hospice. Many people prefer to be able to stay in their own home, and the Strathcarron Community team are glad to work with you and your family as well as your GP, District Nurse and other services to enable this to happen wherever possible. The Strathcarron Community Team is made up of ten specialist nurses who are based at Strathcarron Hospice but work across our whole catchment area of Forth Valley, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. Each specialist nurse works in a designated geographical area. The team are involved with approximately 350 patients at any one time. The service is available Monday to Friday from 9am - 5pm. How does the Palliative Specialist Nurse become involved with your care? Normally one of the healthcare professionals who know you best i.e. your GP, District Nurse or Hospital specialist will contact us and ask us to visit you. We aim to send you written acknowledgement of this referral within two working days. We will then arrange a suitable day and time to visit you. 1

4 What will the Palliative Specialist Nurse do to help? The purpose of our involvement is to enable people to have the best possible quality of life. We will do this by:- making time to listen to concerns that you and your family/carer have about your illness assess any symptoms which are troublesome and make suggestions of how these could be improved discuss any personal wishes you have regarding your health, your care and treatment or other personal/practical matters relating to your illness. put you in contact with other relevant services which can help support you in different ways What can I expect when the Palliative Specialist Nurse visits me? We will arrange a suitable day/time to visit, and will be happy to see you on your own, or with your relative/ carer if this is your preference. We want to hear your own story about your illness and how it has affected your life, and if you are taking any medicines we will ask you about these. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions or discuss any issues which may concern you at any time. Our aim is to help you get the best information and support while we are involved with your care. 2

5 Strathcarron Hospice How long will the Palliative Specialist Nurse be involved with my care? This will depend on your needs and symptoms. We work closely with your GP and District Nurse (who remain your key workers), and our involvement complements the roles of other professionals. It may take several visits to address your concerns and symptoms, and when things become more stable your GP and District Nurse will continue to support you. Should new problems develop which require additional palliative support, we can be involved again at any point. OTHER INFORMATION Confidentiality We will ask you for information about yourself so that you can receive appropriate care and support. We keep this together with details of your care because it may be needed if we see you again. We may use some of this information for other reasons for example audit, quality control and to help plan the service for the future. We will remove any details that can directly identify you and will only use or pass on information about you to professionals that have a genuine need for this information. Everyone working for Strathcarron has a duty of confidentiality. Smoking In the interests of the Health and Safety of Strathcarron staff, we would ask that you would refrain from smoking during the CNS visit. 3

6 Service Quality The quality of the services we offer is regularly reviewed and we welcome your views. We are always pleased to receive suggestions (including any complaints) from you and your family or carers, as these help us to improve our service. Strathcarron has its own complaints procedure and this is available to anyone on request. You may speak with any member of staff looking after you about any aspect of your care or write to the Hospice Chief Executive using the address at the end of this brochure. We also welcome comments about this leaflet. Regulation of the Hospice As an independent charity, Strathcarron Hospice is regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland which inspects the hospice on an annual basis to ensure we are practicing in accordance with their standards of care. You are welcome to send comments or complaints directly to them at the following address: Adrian Masson Head of Corporate Secretariat Healthcare Improvement Scotland Elliott House 8-10 Hillside Crescent Edinburgh EH7 5EA 4

7 General Information Strathcarron Hospice is a registered charity providing care and support for people from across the local area with cancer and other serious illnesses. Our dedicated team offers high-quality care for patients, and support for their families and helpers. Our catchment area covers the whole of Forth Valley, and the areas of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth in North Lanarkshire. We care in a variety of ways according to the patient s individual needs. Services at the hospice include an In-Patient Unit, Day Care, Bereavement support and a Lymphoedema Clinic. Support is also provided in patients own homes where Strathcarron Nurse Specialists make over 5000 visits each year. There is no charge to patients or families for the specialist services we offer. We receive some funds from the NHS but primarily we rely on fundraising activities, voluntary contributions and legacies. If you would like further information on our work, please ask one of our staff. Strathcarron Hospice Randolph Hill Denny Stirlingshire, FK6 5HJ Tel: Fax: Website at enquiries@strathcarronhospice.org Reg Charity No: SC006704