Ahead of International Nurses Day, health chiefs in the Black Country are raising awareness of the important role that nurses play in Continuing Healthcare.
Led by the International Nurses Council, International Nurses Day is observed every year on 12 May (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth) to mark the contributions that nurses make to society.
Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is a package of care which can be received in any setting outside of hospital, including at home, within a hospice or in a care home. It is provided by the NHS for people aged 18 years and over with complex and ongoing healthcare needs, and covers the cost of healthcare services, equipment, and support needed to manage their health conditions.
CHC nurse assessors are qualified nurses who are trained to assess individuals and check their eligibility for the CHC funding. This involves completing an initial checklist which identifies whether a full assessment needs to be carried out.
If an in-depth assessment needs to be carried out, CHC nurse assessors work with a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals comprising two or more health or social care professionals familiar with the patient’s needs, to assess their physical, mental, and emotional needs, as well as any social and environmental factors that may impact their care.
The NHS has created a video to highlight the important role of CHC nurse assessors in the Black Country and to encourage qualified nurses to consider a career in CHC. You can watch the video on YouTube here.
Lisa Tidmarsh is a Clinical Nurse Practitioner in the Continuing Healthcare Team at NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) and features in the video. She said: “My main role is to assess people to see if they’re eligible for continuing healthcare within the NHS. This means I meet people during what is often a very difficult time in their life and their families lives, which is generally at the end of a long hospital stay or at the start of a new diagnosis.
“Working in CHC, you get the opportunity to work with patients and explain how their care is going to be planned. You get to assess patients, explain what continuing healthcare is and explain the funding, and so as a result you get to know patients and their families really well.
“If they are eligible, you get to plan their care with them, and if you’re lucky enough, you get he chance to go back and review in three months and 12 months’ time to see how everyone is getting on.
“Being a nurse who works in CHC, is a really giving role. As much as you are giving to other people, I get a lot back from what I do. It has its challenges, but when you go and see that the care plan that you’ve written has enabled care to be in place, there’s no better feeling.”
Sally Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS Black Country ICB, said: “International Nurses Day provides us with the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the fantastic work undertaken by our dedicated nurses who work in CHC, and the important role they play.
“CHC nurse assessors are responsible for ensuring that patients receive a high-quality assessment of need, that the patient is at the heart of the assessment, and their view and those of their carers’ are taken in to account.
“They play a vital role to ensure patients are safe, living in the correct environment and receiving the appropriate care to meet their needs.
“We are extremely proud of our CHC team in the Black Country who are committed to deliver the highest quality service and would encourage any qualified nurses interested in a career in CHC to get in touch today.”
For more information about Continuing Healthcare, visit the Black Country ICB website here.
