Archived: Campden Area Home Nursing Trust

The service worked in conjunction with GPs and community based nurses and was provided to people who live within a 12 mile radius of Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire. This included the surgeries at Evesham, Moreton in Marsh, Chipping Campden, Mickleton, Bredon and occasionally Bidford on Avon.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the time of the inspection the service was supporting one person. Over the past year they had been involved with 25 people. Health and social care professionals referred people to the service for support or people and their families could refer themselves. Campden Home Nursing worked in partnership with community nurses who were the lead healthcare professional.

People and their families received care, treatment and support which reflected their individual needs and wishes. The service tried to respond quickly to crises. Nurses worked closely with other health care professionals to make sure the care people received was responsive to their changing needs. People’s safety was paramount ensuring they received their medicines when they needed them, they had access to the right equipment and support. Nurses had access to out of normal working hours support should they need a second opinion or advice. They supported people with very complex needs and it was important they liaised closely with other health care professionals, hospices and domiciliary care agencies.

People’s families were appreciative of the compassion with which people were supported at a very difficult time. This included help, comfort and a “listening ear” for them. A relative talked about her own emotions and how Campden Home Nursing had helped her and her mother come to terms with their situation. The relative commented, “I can’t praise them enough. How grateful I was. Even afterwards they checked on me to see if I was alright. They cared for me.” The registered manager told us, “It’s almost not about nursing, it’s about emotional and spiritual support.” Nurses spoke about their pride and the privilege of supporting people at the end of their lives.

People were supported to eat and drink if needed. They were treated with dignity and compassion. Nurses respected their individual wishes such as having a bath to relax or wishing to wear make-up and have their hair done. One nurse had been asked to pray with a person because they had the same religious beliefs. Robust communication with families, GP’s and community nurses was maintained ensuring continuity of care and that any changes were immediately raised and dealt with.

The service was well managed and organised. GP’s and community nurses had confidence in their ability to be able to help them out. They told us, “It’s an amazing organisation, it transforms palliative care for us as GP’s” and they are “so quick at responding to a crisis and providing urgent input”. The board of trustees were responsible for overseeing the high standards of care, support and treatment. They recognised changes were needed to maintain and improve these such as improving documentation and appointing new personnel. Nurses were supported to access training and individual support to maintain their professional development. A nurse told us, “We have regular meetings, and this enables us to meet my colleagues and this is particularly useful to evaluate our care, or update each other in all aspects of nursing relevant to our job. It is a good support group, and we all share a passion for our job.”

People were given information about the service provided. Open communication ensured that feedback was asked for so that changes to the care and treatment could be made if needed. One relative said their relative passed away with "the dignity that should naturally be afforded to such a reserved and private individual".

Systems were in place to protect people from possible harm and promote their safety and well-being. Staff confirmed they kept up to date with safeguarding training.

High standards of care were delivered by staff who were supported to maintain and develop their skills and qualifications. Feedback from relatives included, "could not have managed without your expertise". Feedback from other health professionals noted that "compassion and level of professionalism was shown by all nurses".

People were made aware of the complaints process. They were given a personal copy. No complaints had been received. Compliments to the service included, "wonderful care" and "appreciated your hard work and dedication".

The views of patients, their families and staff were sought. Feedback about the agency included, "kindness, respect and unswerving care of the individual carers not only to make his remaining life as calm and peaceful as possible but to allow him to pass away with dignity" and "provide much appreciated support and respite to me in caring for him".

Campden Home Nursing had close links to patients' GPs, district nurses and other agencies supporting them. Relatives of one patient said, ""just as important is their ability to co-ordinate with other agencies (the home care team, NHS services and GP)".

Recruitment and selection procedures were in place but there had been no new appointments to the service since 2010. The nurse co-ordinator was employed to oversee the day to day running of the service and a team of 12 nurses.