A day in the daily life of a district nurse crew leader

‘This work can be emotionally tiring and tough at occasions it is not a single you can switch off from.’

I have been a certified nurse for 7 years, and now perform as a district nurse group leader at Bristol Community Well being, which is a local community curiosity business.

Functioning for a social enterprise indicates that we continue to offer care in line with NHS policy and suggestions but we have much more influence on how we carry out our care.

My day commences when the alarm goes off at six.30am. I grab a swift shower, a cup of tea and get myself prepared. The very first factor I do before leaving property is log in and go through any texts or emails that I may possibly have obtained from workers.

If I have been allocated a patient who needs an early pay a visit to, I will see them on my way to function. We have started out using mobile technologies, so I can entry all patient specifics on my tablet, this kind of as their handle, allergies and remedy programs. I am also in a position to go through prior notes and verify whether they have been observed by out-of-hours employees.

Whilst with the patient, I document the treatment presented in the course of the visit which is a huge relief as previously I was re-coming into information into the technique from paper notes.

If I do not have any early visits I get into the office for 8am before the other staff arrive at 8.30am. I fire up my personal computer and the phone will start ringing as soon as I am in. The bulk of calls are go to requests typically we go on about 50 visits a day. I triage all calls choosing on their priority standing then check whether I have a nurse who can match in an added check out.

In the afternoon I comprehensive all my excellent work, such as referrals, gear ordering and liaising with GPs. Due to the nature of the occupation, acquiring a lunch break does not constantly happen. I inspire my staff to consider a break but I do not heed my own advice and I am frequently guilty of eating lunch at my desk, although dealing with messages and mobile phone calls.

The primary challenge that I face on a day-to-day basis is the large level of unscheduled phone outs. Hospital discharges, patients turning out to be acutely unwell and other solutions reaching their capacity mean that their perform is referred to district nursing to pick up. Managing these callouts is an ongoing challenge. Simply because the service we supply does not have a ceiling capability level, we have to use our sources effectively to ensure individuals are witnessed and personnel abilities employed efficiently.

Local community nursing is a varied and progressive support. My clinical expertise are constantly establishing and my information base is forever expanding. I am due to start a portion-time 6-month secondment as a clinical champion for telehealth. I am actually searching forward to the new challenge and enhancing my capabilities.

I generally finish function about five.30pm. My free of charge time is spent either taking part in netball for my crew in the Avon league, attending kettlebell courses and on rare occasions I handle to catch up on my Sky Plus!

This work can be emotionally tiring and challenging at times it is not 1 that you can switch off from. I typically reflect on the care I have supplied that day, often questioning if I could have carried out anything in a different way. By the time I have last but not least relaxed the alarm has gone off and I am commencing another day!

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A day in the daily life of a district nurse crew leader