District Nurse Jobs

What is a District Nurse?

A district nurse will be a registered general nurse, will perform their duties out in the community, usually away from the GP surgery, although occasionally in local health centres. They will be specially trained in community healthcare and require high levels of autonomy with very little support about key decisions to be made regarding patient care. They are often in charge of teams of community-based nurses and support workers.

There is no restriction on the age or type of patient that a district nurse may treat, suffering from a range of conditions, some may be recently discharged from hospital, physical disabilities or terminal conditions which make them unable to leave their home.

Their role involves providing care to housebound patients and may take place once or multiple times per day depending on the care required. The nurse will need to ensure thorough risk assessments are carried out on each visit to maintain the safety of themselves, the patient, and any other support workers who may be required to attend to support the treatment of the patient.

Their responsibilities include writing individual care plans to suit the needs of the patient, and their family or carer/s, wound management, medication support, rehabilitation assistance and catheter care. They should also identify and discuss any key healthcare needs with the patient and their families or carer/s, imparting their knowledge around various aspects of healthcare.