Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

The Oxfordshire District Nursing Service is a team of nurses with a wide range of skills and knowledge.  District nurses are registered nurses who have had additional specialist training.

We provide care to patients in Oxfordshire who have very specific needs which can be met by the specialist skills of the district nursing team.

The district nurses may:

• Provide your nursing care within your home or another community setting, for example a day centre.
• Arrange for your care to be shared with your GP, Practice Nurse or other health professional.  This may mean that you will need to attend your GP Practice or Health Centre to receive your care.
• Transfer you to an alternative service that is more appropriate for you.

We usually see adults over the age of 18, who have needs that can be met in their environment. We often work with older people with complex health problems, or people needing palliative or end-of-life care.

Examples of people who might need the support of the District Nurse include:

• Management and support of patients with long term conditions and illnesses.
• Palliative and end-of-life care.
• Wound management, for example post operative wounds or leg ulcers.
• Rehabilitation following surgery, disability, accident or illness.
• Promotion of self care through education and teaching of carers.
• Promotion of continence and assessment of continence problems.
• Health promotion, advice and support.

There may also be other circumstances when a person has needs that can be met by the service.

We are a team of specialist qualified district nurses, community nurses, assistant practitioners and healthcare assistants. We’re usually based within or near GP surgeries, and we work as a neighbourhood team providing seamless personalised care in people’s own homes or in the community.

Our district nurses work fairly independently, serving both rural and urban locations.

Most district nurses are based at a local GP Practice or Health Centre.  They are available from 8.00 am to 4.30 pm, seven days a week.  We’ll usually visit within these core hours, within a time-slot that’s been agreed with you.

If you need care outside of these hours, then your nurse will arrange for the evening nursing service to visit you.  This service is available from 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm.

Patients, carers, relatives or friends and neighbours can access the service directly.  Contact details are available via the local GP surgery. Any health or social care professional can also make a referral to the service.