District nurses working in North Meirionnydd have received funding to improve care.

The district nursing team’s project, District Nursing Single Point of Contact, has received £5,000 funding from the Queen’s Nursing Institute. The funding will be used to help prevent patients with complex needs having to be admitted to hospital for conditions that can be managed in the community if there is access to the right people at the right time.

Llio Griffiths, district nurse caseholder for North Meirionnydd, said: “With demand in caring for complex patients increasing and resources limited a more seamless service is required to enable individuals to live their life as they want to live it with a coordinated service closer to home.

“We are truly grateful to the Queen’s Nursing Institute for awarding us this funding. It will allow us to purchase smart phones for team members and key staff such as occupational therapists and physios to trial a secure messaging app that will help us to improve communication, which in turn will improve access to members of the Community Resource Team (CRT) to actively manage complex cases in our community.”

A hub has been set up and is manned by a district nurse between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. It prioritises and co-ordinates each individual’s care and concerns, whilst drawing in specialist support from colleagues from community care, secondary care and primary care if needed.

District nurse Angharad Jones says managing complex patients in the community has become more challenging during the pandemic, and the funding they have received will help improve care.

She said: “Our project is innovative as it is the first of its kind in North West Wales.

“The project will give district nurses recognition, and enhance and develop the vital co-ordination of patients with complex needs which will in turn greatly benefit patients with complex needs, their families and carers within our community.

“We are currently living through one of the most challenging times of our lives with constant change to the way that we work.

“Demand for our service is greater than it has ever been before and since the pandemic co-ordinating care for complex patients closer to home has been challenging.

“This project will give us the confidence and support to help all members of the community resource team to envision our vision of a seamless service that improves wellbeing and quality of life for patients with complex needs in our community.”

A spokesperson from the Queen’s Nursing Institute said they were “delighted” to award the funding and “look forward to working with the team to deliver excellent healthcare in homes and communities over the coming year.”