In Buckinghamshire, nurses are taking the lead in care for the over 75s with a community nursing project.
That project involves delivering appropriate care interventions before patients hit a crisis. This helps prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and support them to maintain their independence.
The service includes a nurse who acts as a trusted first point of contact to reassure patients and link with other services. These nurses are knowledgeable about the normal ageing process and disease progression. They can identify areas of concern for an individual’s health and welfare. For example, these could be physical, psychological, social, environmental or financial.
The nurses are supported by a local community resource. This helps them to integrate with other service providers. These include health, social and voluntary care, family and carers.
Achievements
Achievements so far include:
- increased referrals to memory clinic services
- 54 per cent reduction in A&E attendances
- average length of hospital stays of 9.2 days compared with the national average of 10 days
Effective staffing
This case study is part of a series that highlights what providers have done to take a flexible approach to staffing.