The community nurse team is made up of senior district nurses, who lead a team of community nurses and healthcare assistants providing community healthcare services for house-bound patients who may well be acutely unwell, have a long term condition, require palliative care or those that require intensive and technological care.
As well as treatment, nurses can offer advice and support with health concerns, working together with GPs to prevent unnecessary or avoidable hospital admissions.
The team visit house-bound patients to provide advice and care, for example: palliative care, wound management, medication support, catheter and continence care, and to assess patients' needs for equipment provision such as specialist beds and mattresses.
If the patient is able to leave their home (either escorted or unescorted) and travel on foot, wheelchair, by public transport or dial-a-ride – they will be asked to attend the nearest clinic instead. Patients who are able to attend GP, dental or hospital appointments are not considered house bound.
The community nurse team work in partnership with hospices, primary, community and secondary care health services, and the voluntary sector.
The service provides a 24-hour service, 7 days a week. However, it is not an emergency service. If patients need urgent help, they should contact their GP or call 111. In an emergency, they should call 999 for an ambulance.
Services are provided in patients’ homes (including residential homes) for house bound or bedbound patients only.
There is provision in local clinic settings when patients are able to leave their home and it is clinically appropriate.
The team can also offer advice, support, and some reviews via telephone consultation.
Adult Community Nursing Service is a 24hrs, 365 days a year service, initially accessed only via a clinical referral from a GP, hospital, or hospice. Provision is split into day and night services.
Switchboard: 020 8487 1699
(Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm)
Messages can be left for nurses and will be picked up by administrators if you are ringing if out of hours.
Locations
- Centre House Team: Centre House, 68 Sheen Lane, London, SW14 8LP
- Teddington & Hampton Team: Teddington Health and Social Care Centre, 18 Queens Road, Teddington, TW11 0LR
- Twickenham & Whitton Team: Whitton Corner Health and Social Care Centre, Percy Road, Twickenham, TW2 6JL
Adult Community Night Nursing Service
Single Point of Access switchboard: 020 8973 3450
(7pm – 7am)
All referrals to the district nursing teams should be made using the HRCH referral form through the Single Point of Access service (SPA).