Community Resources

Community hospitals bridge the gap between primary and secondary care. They are geographically diverse local assets that offer a range of services, although inpatient services often focus on rehabilitation, most commonly for stroke and older people. Community hospitals are person-centred in their approach, nurse-led and work in a multidisciplinary way to support people to achieve their goals, maintain independence,  and improve health and wellbeing assets. The model of care, including medical support, has evolved over the 150 years they have been in place, in response to local and systems’
needs, including the development of enhanced and advanced roles. Covid-19 demonstrated flexibility, innovation and resilience to support local communities and the wider health and care system. Community hospitals are valued by the people and  communities they serve and have a part to play in the future health and care landscape, improving the care of older people.

It’s been a tough few years for the NHS in general, and for community nurses in  particular. First came Covid-19 and the trials of trying to maintain patient care in the teeth of an unprecedented pandemic, with lockdowns, cumbersome personal protective equipment (PPE) and endless vaccination programmes adding to the burden on an already stressed and under-resourced workforce.

There has recently been an increased focus on the use of patient information leaflets as a means of communicating key information and engaging patients in preventative measures. The prevention and management of pressure ulcers depends on proactive and effective communication between nurses and other healthcare professionals and the patients themselves. This is particularly important in community settings, with the increasing responsibility placed on patients to self-manage their conditions. However, despite the use of patient information leaflets as part of the nursing process, there is little research evidence to support their use with regards to pressure ulcer prevention and, in particular, whether patients themselves engage with and understand the information. This article discusses the existing literature and knowledge around patient information leaflets, looking at it in light of a recent study around pressure ulcer prevention in Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust.

Increasing pressures experienced within community nursing are having detrimental effects on the care and treatment provided to patients. Among these is the management of venous leg ulcers, where a culture of passivity has possibly developed, resulting in significant delays in measuring patients’ ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) and reduction in the use of full, therapeutic compression therapy. As pressures increase, so does the financial burden on the NHS and associated psychosocial impact often experienced by patients living with lower limb ulcers. Urgent reform of leg ulcer services is required to better manage these conditions and improve the quality of care received by patients. This article provides evidence from examples of successful service transformation, and puts forward recommendations for future practice.

Transition into adult services can be sudden and fragmented for young people with complex health needs. Yet, if the transition is a planned, coordinated process, the benefits can be life-long. Literature suggests that the quality of transition is variable and recommends community nurses take an active role within the process. To increase knowledge and awareness, a transition workshop was developed using the Queen’s Nursing Institute’s ‘Transition of Care’ tool, and delivered to the community specialist practitioner students at the University of Central Lancashire. The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness among the professional community groups in order to identify the challenges faced by young people, thus bringing together practitioners to promote collaborative working and leadership within this sphere of practice. Feedback following the workshop provided evidence of improved interprofessional working and a shift in perception, with historic ideologies being challenged. This article explores how implementing techniques to increase community nurses’ knowledge and awareness of transition improves the transition experience for the young person.

Sunday is a day we associate with friends and family. Cooking Sunday lunches, watching our favourite television shows and catching up with friends. But, for hundreds of thousands of older people across the UK, Sunday can be a day they dread. Contact the Elderly’s recent research reveals 76% of older people find Sunday to be the hardest day of the week.

Jenny Smyth, adult nursing student at Queen's University, Belfast, is also a key worker for an adult with a learning disability and a member of the Squad UK for WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN COMMUNITY PRACTICE?

I completed the BTEC level 3 extended diploma in health and social care at the Southern Regional College in Banbridge, Northern Ireland. We studied a total of 18 units over two years as well as completing 100 hours of work placements, which I undertook in a surgical ward in Craigavon Area Hospital and a children’s ward in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. I also volunteered with St John’s Ambulance and in a local nursing home, which involved assisting at mealtimes and shadowing the different clinicians.