The NHS Long Term Plan aims for patients to receive more options, better support and integrated care at the right time and in the optimal care setting. Community nursing teams at the Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust have experienced several challenges in delivering intravenous antibiotics (IV) to patients within their own homes, especially for non-housebound patients, due to the complexity of and demand on the service. Traditionally, intravenous antimicrobials are administered in the acute hospital or in-patient settings. However, there is now a growing trend to deliver intravenous antibiotic therapy within the community. Community nurses have a wealth of knowledge and skills that can support the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan by developing new models of care in integrated care systems while supporting the implementation and delivery of the governments five-year action plan on antimicrobial resistance. This article describes how the community nursing service at Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust set up community IV clinics.
Sarah Cowell, Charlotte Botes. Experience with setting up community intravenous therapy clinics. British journal of community nursing. 2020 Jun 02;25(6):300-302
PMID: 32496857
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