Community care

St Wilfrid’s Hospice is fortunate to have an enthusiastic team of Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) who work in the community. The CNS work as part of the Primary Health Care Team, which is made up of people from other charities, NHS services and trusts and social services etc. As well as working closely with the patients, general practitioner and district nurse, they also liaise with the hospital palliative care team if time is spent in hospital.

The CNS team consists of eight qualified nurses who have undergone further professional training to help understand the difficulties patients and their families may be experiencing and how best to help them. The aim of the CNS is to work together to facilitate access to all the services patients and their families may require and to ensure that the best care possible is received.

The role of the CNS is varied and can at times prove to be quite a challenge, however, primarily their role is to offer support and advice to the patient, their family and friends throughout their illness. The care can be provided in the patient’s own home, and nursing or residential care home.

The CNS team are encouraged to further develop their skills, enabling them to widen their knowledge base and resources, thus improving their resource to other professionals and support to patients and families in the community.

Recognising that everyone is an individual, the team holds great respect for each other and for the community as a whole, enabling them to deliver a high standard of care.