Night nurses to provide round the clock care for local people

Teresa Goddard and Maria Brookes

People living in the Rochdale Borough can now benefit from dedicated nursing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week thanks to an extension to the Out of Hours Nursing Service.

Part of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, the nurses are responsible for providing home-based care to adults who have nursing needs during the night. This includes urgent requirements, for example catheter management or supporting people who are in the last stages of their life; and routine care for people with a long-term condition, for example giving insulin to diabetic patients who are not able to do so themselves.

The new extended service runs from 5pm until 8am, ensuring people can receive the care they need, when they need it and in their own home.

Maria Brookes, Lead Night Nurse for Pennine Care, said: “Expanding the service has resulted in many benefits for our patients and their relatives or carers, including reassurance that nurses will be on hand round the clock; reducing the risks of people having to be admitted to hospital unnecessarily; and providing continuity of care, which improves people’s overall experience.”

Many patients are benefiting from the extended service, including Teresa Goddard, 59, from Rochdale. Teresa has several long-term conditions and receives nutrients via a tube directly into her bloodstream for 12 hours a day, five days a week.

Under the care of the service, Teresa can now have her feeding line in place for an additional two hours per day, ensuring she gets all the nutrients she needs to stay as well as possible. The nurses have the right skills and expertise to ensure her complex health needs are cared for in the community.

Teresa said: “The extension to the service has made a real difference to me and it’s very reassuring that I can contact the nurses at any time of the day or night and that there is always someone there to help me if I need it.

“It’s fantastic being able to be cared for at home. I have spent long periods of time in hospital and my recovery comes on in leaps and bounds once I am able to come home and be with my family. Without the Out of Hours nurses, I would not be able to stay at home, so I think the service is invaluable.”

In addition to receiving referrals from a range of health professionals, the team also accepts self-referrals from people who have a nursing need. They can contact the team on 01706 676 363.