About the Service
Health New ZealandTe Whatu Ora - Waitematā District Nursing Service is located at North Shore Hospital, Waitākere Hospital, Hibiscus Coast, Helensville and Warkworth.
The purpose of the service is to prevent avoidable hospital admission or enable early discharge from hospital, and to promote self-care and independence. The District Nursing Service is a nurse-led service comprised of both Registered Nurses and Enrolled Nurses (RNs / ENs) who have the expertise to provide specialised nursing care for patients and family/whānau which cannot be delivered to the patient by another provider.
Specialist nursing care includes complex wound care, urology and gastrostomy care, and intravenous (IV) medication management that is delivered either in one of the District Nursing Clinics at each base or at home if the patient is house bound. These services are augmented by occupational and physical therapy, social work and dietitian services.
District nurses work closely with the Needs Assessment Service Coordination (NASC) service, and the community clinical nurse specialist roles of ostomy, continence and gerontology. They will also collaborate with primary health and hospice to support and provide palliative care to patients.
Note: The District Nursing Service will provide nursing services for Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) claimants awaiting approval of long-term claims only. Once claims are accepted, care is transferred to a private ACC provider.
The service provides:
- specialised wound care, including leg ulcer assessment and treatment
- palliative care, working with GPs and other providers to manage pain and other symptoms; this may include managing syringe drivers
- assistance with the management of intravenous (IV) medications; urinary catheters; continence issues; stoma care; and injections, including rheumatic fever prophylaxis
- provision of short term loan equipment if required for nursing care
- education and advice about healthcare needs and/ or illness
- support for patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
- they are functionally independent with non-complex health issues
- their service needs can be reasonably met by their GP/practice nurse, primary health provider or lead maternity carer
- their clinical situation/medical condition is being managed by a specialised mental health team, and the patient’s needs are solely related to a mental health condition
- Surveillance checks, wellness, safety checks, healed wound checks
- ACC patients with accepted ACC claim
- Monitoring or blood pressure, blood glucose and body weights
- Monitoring and troubleshooting only of PICO/NPWT dressings
- Taking Ankle Brachial Pulse index and bladder scan for diagnostic purpose only
- Application of moisturising creams and eye drops
- they reside in a residential care facility where nursing care is provided
- Surveillance checks, wellness, safety checks, healed wound checks
- ACC patients with accepted ACC claim
- Monitoring or blood pressure, blood glucose and body weights
- Monitoring and troubleshooting only of PICO/NPWT dressings
- Taking Ankle Brachial Pulse index and bladder scan for diagnostic purpose only
- Application of moisturising creams and eye drops