District Nurses are senior nurses who manage
care within the community, leading teams
of
community nurses and support workers.
Typically much of their work involves visiting 'house-bound' patients to provide
advice and care, for example, palliative care, wound management, catheter and continence care, medication support. They may be trained to assess patient's needs for
equipment provision such as mobility and independent living aids,
medical equipment
such as specialist beds and mattresses, as well as guidance in applying for
grants and welfare benefits. Their work involves both follow-up care for recently discharged hospital inpatients and longer term care for
chronically ill patients who may be referred
by many other services, as well as working
collaboratively with general practitioners in
preventing unnecessary or avoidable hospital
admissions.