Specialist Services

District Nurses

About your District Nurse.

The District Nurse is a professional who is familiar with the community s/he works in. This knowledge allows her or him to give skilled nursing care to all members of the public, wherever they are living, and regardless of their age. The District Nurse will visit patients at home if they are registered with the GP practice or Health Centre to which s/he is attached, and they are unable to attend the surgery.

The District Nurse is professionally accountable for identifying and assessing the total nursing needs of patients or carers and for planning, initiating and providing the appropriate nursing care. After completion of that care, s/he can discharge the patient from the caseload. S/he must also assess the ability of carers to carry out nursing care between visits and is responsible for teaching and supporting them in this task.

The District Nurse has knowledge of and can give information regarding local and national services available to patients and their families from statutory and voluntary sources. Where appropriate, patients or carers are encouraged to access such services for themselves.

Who does the District Nurse take referrals from?

• Any members of the Primary Health Care team.

• Hospitals.

• Relatives/carers.

• Patients themselves

Only patients with identified nursing needs will be visited and all referrals are prioritised according to need. Personal care (i.e. help with personal hygiene, washing, dressing, toileting etc are now the remit of social services).

District Nurses and Training/Education

The District Nurse has an important role in Health Education within the community, and participates in the teaching of student nurses as well as other professionals. Students will often accompany the District Nurse on her/his visit, but permission will always be asked first.

Contact 0118 930 9001

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CLINICS:

St Luke's Church Hall:

Thursday 10:00 – Midday
(As from 25-Jan-2007)

CALCOT SURGERY:

Monday 1 – 2.30 pm

No appointment is necessary for the clinic

Health Visiting Team:

Ruth Hill, Clare Clarke
Alison Llewelyn-Davies

 Tel: (0118) 930 9000

HEALTH VISITING SERVICE

At Theale Medical Centre, Calcot Surgery & Bradfield Surgery

Health Visitors can offer help on:

Family planning & pregnancy, baby & child care, health & development, immunisations, family nutrition, adolescence, family dynamics, coping with disabilities, coping with a sick or ageing relative, welfare benefits, local services & facilities, bereavement, support groups, general health
 ………………. and much more.

Anyone can contact a Health Visitor requesting help or advice for themselves, relatives or friends. All referrals will be treated confidentially.

Tel: 0118 930 9000

(Answerphone if out of office)

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Theale Medical Centre

 Information about the Counselling Service

As part of Theale Medical Centre’s approach to the provision of patient care, a Counselling Service is provided on site, at the surgery, for certain patients. Berkshire West Primary Care Trust has commissioned this service. The Counselling Service is an integral part of the services offered by the Practice Team. Referral to the Service is via your GP, Health Visitor or Practice Nurse.

Who might benefit from seeing a Counsellor?   

Sometimes it can be useful to talk to someone other than family and friends. Counsellors are trained to help people deal with emotional difficulties of various sorts. These may include things like stress, loss, work problems, illness, anxiety, bereavement, relationship difficulties or depression. A patient who is referred to the Counselling Service may be feeling that his or her own ways of coping are no longer enough to help them to get through a difficult situation. Or perhaps a patient may have become deeply unsettled or unhappy without being able to work out why.

Is it confidential?   

Counsellors maintain confidentiality about a patient’s attendance for counselling, within the usual boundaries of the practice team. Furthermore, the content of what patients discuss with a Counsellor is bound by a strict code of confidentiality.

If I go for counselling, will it work?   

It is a brave thing to seek out counselling. However, there is no ‘magic wand’, and we recognize that counselling is not always an easy process. You and the Counsellor work together, confidentially, with the aim of helping you to develop your own resources, so that you can find your own way forward. The Counsellor will not tell you how to live your life, but may sometimes suggest other options for help.

How do I arrange an Assessment Interview with the Counsellor?   

If your doctor has agreed to make a referral for you to counselling, you are asked to fill in a Request Form, and to send it to the Counsellor, to indicate that you would like an initial interview. This assessment interview is an opportunity for you and the Counsellor to assess if counselling is what will best suit your needs.

GMC Feb 2007

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