Our Community Nursing Service
Our Community Nursing Service cares for our adult patients in their homes and in aged residential care facilities.
This care is provided by a co-ordinated team of Doctors, Nurses and Allied Health Staff who are focussed on delivering an excellent level of compassionate care across all facets of the patient’s needs.
The majority of our patients choose to be cared for at home and each year, our team of community nurses make more than 10,000 visits to our patients in the comfort of their own homes across the Waikato.
Our community care includes –
- Assessing the needs of the patient and working with family/whānau to develop individual plans of care.
- Help with symptom management, pain and medications.
- Support and education for the patient and their family/whānau regarding ongoing care requirements.
- Advice from Palliative Medicine doctors. Note: The GP remains the primary carer and the Palliative Medicine Doctor will provide support/advice for the GP as requested.
- Ongoing emotional, social and spiritual support.
- Communication with other health professionals such as your General Practitioner and/or medical specialists.
- Support with access other services, e.g. home help, personal care and respite care.
- Assisting and coordinating referrals to rest homes or hospital level care facilities if required.
- Loan of medical equipment to aid home care as needed
- Connecting you with skilled support volunteers who are able to spend time listening in a warm and supportive way if you feel this would help
- Emotional and practical support with end-of-life care at home
Community Nursing Team hours
The Community Nurses are available for in-home visits Monday to Friday with a reduced service on weekends for urgent needs.
There is an overnight phone service for patients already under Hospice care, seven nights a week.
Please call our main telephone line for this service – 07 859 1260 or 0800 HOSPICE.
After hours your call will be answered by a Registered Nurse based in our Inpatient Unit who will be able to offer advice or contact the on-call Community Nurse if necessary. In the case of an emergency, please call 111