District Nursing

The Lewisham District Nursing Service provides skilled nursing care and advice to housebound patients in a variety of care settings such as care homes without nursing, clinics and patients’ own homes.

District  nurses are attached to GP practices and work as part of the wider community health care team.

The service supports patients, carers and families to:

• Learn more about their health and individual condition, available treatment and care options through a comprehensive assessment and history taking
• Be as independent as possible in managing their condition through education and support which recognises the importance for lifestyle, culture and religion
• Work with other healthcare providers to plan their care

Each team is led by a team leader, who has undertaken specialist training in community nursing practice. The team leaders are supported by qualified staff nurses, primary care assistant practitioners and healthcare support workers. Senior practitioners also work alongside each team leader to support them in managing complex cases on the caseload, and ensure quality assurance in the teams assigned to them.

What services do the district nurses provide?

The district nurses offer:

• Support and nursing care for patients requiring end of life care
• Wound care management
• Post operative care
• Management of patients with long term conditions
• Bowel and bladder care
• Health Screening and Flu vaccination
• Referrals to other teams/services
• Prescription for items frequently required for nursing care of assessed patients
• Phlebotomy for house bound patients
• Leg ulcer clinic across a number of health centres

Please note: The district nurses do not offer:

• Collecting and delivering prescription
• Visits without nursing need
• Continence products without nursing need and personal hygiene
• Housework, washing and shopping

Where are the district nurses located?

Neighbourhood 1 (New Cross, Brockley, Honor Oak)

The district nurses are based at:

Waldron Health Centre, Stanley St, Deptford, London, SE8 4BG

Neighbourhood 2 (Lee, Blackheath, parts of Catford and Eltham)

The district nurses are based at:

Lee health Centre, 2 Handen Road, Lee, London, SE12 8NP
Honor Oak Health Centre, 20 Turnham Road, Brockley, London, SE4 2LA

Neighbourhood 3 (Catford, Grove Park, Downham, parts of Bromley and Beckenham)

The district nurses are based at:

Downham Health & Leisure Centre, 7 – 9, Moorside Road, Downham, BR1 5EP
South Lewisham Health Centre, 50 Connisborough Crescent, Catford, London, SE6 2SS

Neighbourhood 4 (Sydenham Green, Bell Green, parts of Beckenham, Crystal Palace, Penge, Catford)

The district nurses are based at:

Sydenham Green Health Centre, 26 Holmshaw Close, Sydenham, London, SE26 4TH

How can you get a referral?

Referrals to community nursing services in Lewisham can be made through the award-winning single point of referral called the “Call Centre”. The Call Centre is based at Sydenham Green Health Centre, where there are seven staff waiting to receive your referrals.

Referral contact details

T: 0203 049 3000 
F: 0203 049 3003
E: LH.adultreferrals@nhs.net

Out of hours/weekends/bank holidays: Referrals can be made by calling the Emergency Bed Service (EBS) on  0207 403 7771 from 5pm - 10.30pm, seven days a week.

The following people can refer

• GP and practice nurses
• Hospitals (Acute setting)
• Social workers
• Other professionals e.g Podiatrist, Dieticians, McMillan team, Hospice nurses etc
• Patients and carers (Self referral)

Response time

• All people referred will be contacted within 48 hours
• Urgent referrals for cases such as blocked catheters, end of life care etc
  will be contacted within 2 hours so that needs can be assessed

How can you contact the district nurses?

Lewisham District Nurses can be contacted on the single referral line 0203 049 3000 between 8.30am – 5pm, and out of hours on 0207 403 7771 from 5pm - 10.30pm, seven days a weeks including weekends and bank holidays. You can also email LH.adultreferrals@nhs.net or fax 0203 049 3003.

The Service Manager

The Service Manager for Lewisham District Nursing Service is Bernadine Bramble. You can call Bernadine on on 020 3049 2272 or b.bramble@remove-this.nhs.net  for more information about the service.

Feedback

If you have used our services, please let us know your comments, compliments or suggestions by contacting the Service Manager on 020 3049 2272.

Respect & Dignity

We will treat everyone as an individual with their privacy, wishes and choices respected. In return, we would ask that you respect our nurses who are there to help you. Violence and verbal abuse (or any form of abuse) will not be tolerated, and may put your future treatments at risk.

All Lewisham community nurses wear identity badges. Please check a person’s identity before letting them into your home. If you are not sure about the person and he / she cannot provide an identity badge, please do not allow them into your home.

Confidentiality

You will be given a blue folder for your care records and the nurse will write in it every time they visit. It is your responsibility to keep it safe at all times, but on completion of your care, the nurse will collect both the folder and its contents from you.

Sometimes it may be necessary to share information about you with other professionals. This will only be done with your permission, and we will maintain confidentiality in the team.

The Leg Ulcer Clinic

The District Nurses also run a leg ulcer clinic from the following health centres:

• Mondays at Downham Health & Leisure Centre (7 – 9 Moorside Road, Downham, BR1 5EP - Doppler assessment clinic only)
• Tuesdays at Lee Health Centre, 2 Handen Road, London, SE12 6NP
• Wednesdays at Downham Health & Leisure Centre (7 – 9 Moorside road, Downham, BR1 5EP)
• Thursdays at Sydenham Green Health Centre, 26 Holmshaw Close, Sydenham, London, SE26  4TH
• Fridays at Waldron Health Centre, Amersham Vale, Deptford, London, SE8 4BG

The Leg ulcer clinics run from 9am – 5pm on these days and referrals are through the Adult Community Referral centre (Call centre) on 0203 049 3000 or by email on  LH.adultreferrals@nhs.net.