Many of our patients are often referred to District Nurses either by ourselves or after they have been to the hospital. They are one of the many "unsung heros" who are an essential part of the NHS helping us to look after you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You may have already had contact with them or perhaps be referred to them but not really know what they do or why you have been referred to them. Over the years their roles and responsibility has changed. They have acquired many new skills and abilities to look after a wide range of patients from those "simply" needing their blood sugar checking to ensure their diabetes remains under control through to somebody with very complex healthcare needs with syringe drivers, intravenous painkillers and other sedating drugs to help somebody stay comfortable and maintain their dignity and comfort whilst helping to fulfil their wish to die at home.
See Hilary Garratt, who was the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Commissioning, Quality and Executive Nurse, NHS Tameside & Glossop when she introduced our District Nursing Services
See below a general overview of what District Nurses do by Tracey Hurst
See the video below of one of the District Nurses who looks after our patients, Emily Seekings talking about her work and what she tries to do to help you.
District Nurses are a vital resource helping to keep patients safe at home. You can help them too by
Ensuring that you try to come to the District Nurse clinics whenever possible - they can see many more patients this way and also have all their equipment to hand too.
If you are unable to attend an appointment then remember to ring them so that somebody else may be able to take your place.
Patients who have access to their GP electronic health records can be really helpful for the district nurses too. If you let them see your records then they can see what other health concerns there may be or what you have suffered with in the past that they are not aware of, what medications you are currently supposed to be taking, what the results of swab tests are that you may had, what recent blood tests you may have had, which other hospitals or other clinics you may be attending and whether your GP or practice nurse is aware of your current health condition or not. These things are in your GP electronic health record and are not accessible by the nurses. But YOU can show them YOUR RECORD if you like when you go and visit them in clinic by asking to go on the internet or show them your record on your computer if they visit you in the house. For further information about records access, click here. Send an e-mail to htmcpatient@nhs.net if you would like to find out how you can get access to your GP electronic health record.
Finally do tell everybody (including your district nurse) about this video and what you think about the great service they are delivering for you!
For further information about local District Nursing provided by NHS Tameside & Glossop, please click here
Click on the video below to learn about what Records Access is and how patients are benefiting from this in the practice
Do You Know?
More and more people are going on to the internet as each day goes by. But do you know how many and at what rate and what impact that is having on the way we inform people? Here is a You Tube video made by some Sony researchers in 2008 which gives us some idea of what is really happening out there and why it is essential that we embrace this technology but also start to help patients and the public to understand information and services better so that you can look after yourself and your loved ones better!
Enjoy (and turn up the volume !).
Who supplies the information for this website? There are many sources of information now available to us all on the internet, what we have endeavoured to do with this site is to bring together reliable sources of information from NHS Choices (National Health Service), BBC Health as well as links to patient and carer organisations, charities and others that we feel can be trusted. Please refer to the terms and conditions of use and ALWAYS CONSULT A DOCTOR OR OTHER HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL IF YOU REQUIRE MEDICAL HELP
Please give us feedback Please send us your comments or tell us abut your experience of using the website when you meet with your a GP, nurse or any other menber of our staff.
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Many of our patients are often referred to District Nurses either by ourselves or after they have been to the hospital. They are one of the many "unsung heros" who are an essential part of the NHS helping us to look after you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Who supplies the information for this website?
Practice 
