Aim of the service

We promote continence and support people who have problems relating to their bladder and/or bowels, by

• improving the patient's quality of life through offering a full holistic assessment to promote continence
• identifying causes for the presenting problem 
• referring to other health care professionals for further investigation and treatment as required 
• providing specialist support and advice regarding bladder and/or bowel dysfunction 
• treating people for as long as the intervention is needed

Who are we?

We are a small team of specialist nurses with extensive experience within the field of continence promotion. Coming from a variety of backgrounds and skills, we work effectively as a team to support patients with bladder and/or bowel issues.

Who is our service for?

Our service is available to adults over the age of 19 who are registered with a St Helens GP and are having difficulties with bladder and/or bowel symptoms. We also offer support and advice to relatives and/or carers of people with bladder and/or bowel issues.

How to access our service?

We offer a totally open referral service; this means you can refer yourself to us, or if consent is gained, you can refer a family member or friend. You can also be referred by your General Practitioner, Social Worker or another health care professional.

This includes all nursing, residential and supported living homes.

To make a referral

• Email: shk-tr.Sthelensadultcontinencepromotionservice@nhs.net
• Tel: 01744 626718

What may happen at your first appointment?

You will be offered a clinic appointment at Fingerpost Health Centre; clinic days are Monday, Thursday & Friday.

If you are housebound (unable to leave the house due to illness) a home visit can be arranged.

• You will be seen by a specialist nurse who will ask you questions about your bladder and/or bowel problem
• The nurse will discuss the paperwork you have filled in at home prior to your appointment
• You will be asked to provide a urine sample and a non-invasive ultra sound bladder scan may be completed
• A treatment pathway will be discussed and advice given
• Various aids and products will be discussed and if appropriate provided to manage any incontinence based on clinical need

The service is a source of expert advice and support for other health professionals working within the multi-disciplinary team, families and carers.

Training is provided on continence issues to health care professionals, families and carers in the community.

The aim of the service is to provide nursing interventions to meet the needs for children and young people with complex needs, technology dependant, life limiting, palliative care and end of life.

The CCNT aims to prevent hospital admission and aid a safe and effective early discharge and when needed with an appropriate package of care.

We can provide training to parents, carers and other agencies such as education to meet complex needs such as tracheostomy care.

We are currently commissioned to provide nursing care to cover the clinical needs of the Special Schools in Halton.

The Community Cardiac Rehabilitation team look after patients who have had a heart attack – also known as an MI or Myocardial Infarction.

They provide care to patients in the community clinic setting or in their own homes depending on need.

This team will check your progress post heart attack, check you are on the correct medication and provide information about your condition and offer health education and risk factor advice. The team will also enrol you on to a cardiac rehabilitation exercise program if this is appropriate. They will review you in a clinic 6 weeks post heart attack and make adjustments to medication if needed and reinforce health education and risk factor advice and help you to rebuild your confidence to optimise your independence.

The team also look after patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafts or angioplasty, reviewing symptoms and progress post procedure and adjusting medication as needed.

Referral to the service will be made by your cardiologist.

All adults with Gynaecological conditions are suitable for referral to this service. The service will assess and treat patients who present with a Gynaecological condition.

This Community Gynaecology service provides an alternative community service for the residents of St Helens CCG GP registered adult (16+ years) population. The service delivers full assessment, advice, appropriate procedures and associated support for the range of gynaecology procedures listed.

• Insertion / removal of IUCD for menorrhagia
• Insertion / removal of shelf / ring pessary
• Menorrhagia
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (within PLCP guidelines)
• Prolapse

The Community Heart Failure Service provides care for patients with heart failure in a community based clinic setting or in their own homes depending on need. The Heart Failure Nurse works closely with the consultant cardiologists, GPs and community matrons/District Nurses to ensure that all patients have a clear diagnosis and ongoing management plan and support. The team will discusses your diagnosis, treatment and lifestyle needs and ensure you are on the correct medication and appropriate follow up and investigations are arranged. The nurse also co-ordinates heart failure clinics. This comprehensive service streamlines care between primary and secondary care preventing unnecessary admissions and improving quality of life for the patients.

You can be referred in to this service by your cardiologist/GP

The aim of the IV therapy service is to provide high quality; evidence based intravenous therapy nursing to patients in a community setting. The service aims to be comprehensive, flexible and easily accessible offering a wide range of medication for a variety of conditions.

Who can access the service?

Referral criteria

• The patient must live within the boroughs of St Helens & Knowsley. Other circumstances will be reviewed on individual basis
• The patient must have a definite diagnosis and an accountable clinician to take clinical responsibility
• The patient must be medically stable or no longer require in-patient care
• The first dose of any treatment may be administered in the community providing the patient has not had a previous anaphylactic reaction
• Patients with a history of drug/substance misuse will be considered for the service on an individual basis.
• The patient will need to be aware of the implications surrounding intravenous therapy at home.
• The patient needs to give written consent prior to discharge home (if they are an inpatient), or to the referring clinician

All referrals will be reviewed and assessed on an individual basis. A final decision will be made by the Community IV Team as to whether a patient can be accepted into the service.

How can people access the service?

All referrals to the service need to be made by a hospital doctor, general practitioner or other health care professional. The referring clinician maintains clinical responsibility for the patient for the planned course of treatment duration. It is the responsibility of the referring clinician to provide all medication, diluents and flushes for the duration of the course. All medication must be dispensed in accordance with the Medicines Act 1968.

There is no option to self-refer to the service.

Where is the service offered?

The majority of our patients are treated within their own home. However on some occasions it may be necessary to treat patients in a community hospital or clinic.

The Community Matron Service provides complex assessments and care for patients over the age of 18 years in their own homes, who suffer from long term conditions. The aim is to jointly formulate a plan of care with the patient at the centre to enable patients to proactively self-manage their long term conditions with the ultimate aim of reducing unnecessary hospital admissions or facilitate supported early discharge to home.

You can be referred to the service by your GP or another health professional involved in your care.

Our community nurses provide nursing care and treatment to patients in their own homes (including residential homes) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

We treat patients who are housebound or require treatments where a home visit is necessary. Examples of the care we provide includes: 

• Holistic assessment to look at all areas of your physical and mental wellbeing 
• Wound care
• End of life care
• Continence care
• Administration of injections / medications
• Ear care

Community nurses also run treatment rooms for patients who are able to leave their home and for whom it is clinically appropriate to do so.

Following referral, your community nurse will undertake an assessment to discuss your needs and agree a care plan with you.

Who is our service for?

Our service is available for any person over the age of 18 who is registered with a St Helens GP.

Who do we work in partnership with?

Community nurses work closely with patients, carers, GPs and other health and social care professionals to help you to live as independently as possible.

How to access our service

You can be referred to the service by your GP or other health and social care professional. We also accept self-referral.

Our team consists of a number of different skilled and experienced practitioners.

These include:

The Specialist nurses who coordinate the triage of new referrals, offer clinical assessments and liaise with other members of the team to support the coordination of care.

Our Consultant Paediatricians, with the support of Speciality Doctors and the Specialist Nurses provide medical assessment and care for the children and young people referred to the service, where the expertise of a doctor is required.

They will work closely with the wider members of the team involved in the assessment, diagnosis and support of each child, and also with other teams eg Speech and Language Therapists and CAMHS. 

Our Specialist Nurses and their support workers will carry out assessments to support families and carers with the management of medically-related behaviour problems.

They may also provide strategies for families to implement at home. Where appropriate, they will liaise with other agencies who offer parenting support as well as supporting Health Visitors and School Nurses in relation to behaviour management.

For Looked After Children, the Development Paediatric service provides:

• Adult health assessments
• Co-ordination of health care including new into care medicals
• Quality Assurance of Medicals, Adoption Medicals and Review Health Assessments
• Attendance at the Emotional Wellbeing Panel
• Attendance at the Children in Care Council
• Subject specific meetings e.g. Leaving Care Passports
• Liaison with health colleagues in areas where St Helens children are placed

The team also work closely with providers of other services in the borough (eg Education, Local Authority, charities and our fellow health professionals)

Our admin team support the doctors and nurses to organise the service and ensure it runs smoothly. If you ring our office our friendly admin team will do their best to help you.

The Community Phlebotomy Service – St Helens is a community based service which obtains blood samples from patients aged 18 years and over. The service operates in both clinic settings at two sites within St Helens and provides domiciliary visits for house bound patients. Patients are referred into the service by healthcare professionals who require a blood sample taking for investigation and monitoring purposes. You will be provided with a blood form by your referring clinician and you must give this form to your phlebotomist.

Our Phlebotomy clinics now use an online booking system. To book an appointment, for a blood test, at one of our clinics please follow this link.

Please Note - Blood forms must be brought to the appointment.

The service is an advisory service not an Emergency service, we endeavour to reply to any referrals within 72 hours of receipt. Please ensure emails are sent to the inbox so if a member of the team is on A/L there won’t be any delays in responding. Please ensure the referral is completed in full and is accompanied by a photograph.

We offer advice for patients with a variety of wounds such as:

Pressure ulcers, Leg Ulcers, Complex/Static and or non-healing wounds present longer than 6 weeks.

We always aim to provide the highest possible standard of care within our service but sometimes you may feel we have not achieved this.  If this happens please make sure you tell us. You can also speak to the Community Tissue Viability Manager, Catherine Welding.

Cath Welding - Clinical Nurse Specialist Tissue Viability Community; Working Week Monday/Thursday/Friday AM

• Email: Cathering.welding2@sthk.nhs.uk
• Mob: 07917 596 088

Expectations

What you can expect from us:

• We will carry out individual assessments based on the referrals we receive. 
• We will work with you to prevent, manage and heal wounds.
• Organise and tailor training sessions to suit the community nursing needs.
• Communicate and respond to you in a professional, courteous and timely manner.
• you can expect a friendly and approachable tissue Viability Team who are there to support you and your nursing needs.
• To work within our NMC Guidelines following Local and National Policies and Procedures which enables us to ensure the most up to date evidence based practice is being implemented.  

What we expect from you:

We would expect staff to have a level of knowledge to manage a variety of wounds. We are working with industry partners to deliver virtual training sessions to support staff during the pandemic. If you need any advice regarding training please see the intranet page tab or contact the Tissue Viability Admin who will provide you with appropriate contacts to meet your requirements.  We expect you to keep up to date with Local and National guidelines and to maintain your knowledge base by utilising the resources provided.

The aim of the paediatric continence service is to achieve early identification, assessment and initial treatment of children and young people with continence problems in the Halton and St Helens area. The service also manages long-term continence problems in children and young people. This includes supporting children with complex medical conditions that impact on continence.

We are excited to have moved over into the outstanding St Helens and Knowsley NHS trust in April 2020. We are keen to further develop our award winning service and are continuously seeking areas for innovation and improvement in theme with the STHK trust values.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Following referral in to the service children are seen in clinic by a member of the team and at one of the various locations across the 2 boroughs.

Home visits are carried out to provide treatment and support to those who are not able to attend the clinic.

School support and health care plans are provided to those children that need this and the team will support education staff to implement the plan required for each child.

Uroflow and sensory clinics are some of the more in depth clinics that are run in the service to meet the need in the area. The sensory children are run to assist those children who in particular find a clinic environment difficult and adjustments to lighting, assessment equipment and distraction toys are implemented to facilitate this.

The Uroflow clinic is an additional diagnostic clinic used to assess and treat children with daytime wetting issues.

The Treatment Room Service provides clinical care for St Helens residents only, who are over the age of 18 years.

Patients can self-refer or be referred through their GP Practice and/or Hospital.

The Treatment Room Service provides a clinical setting for wound care, removal of sutures (stitches, staples, and clips), injections, ear irrigation, non-urgent Doppler assessment, compression and catheter care.

About the Team

Our team of friendly, highly professional nurses work holistically to provide continuity of care for service users providing high quality personalised care.

Location and Contact Details

• Haydock Health Centre
• Fingerpost health Centre
• Lowe House
• Rainford Health Centre
• St Helens Walk-in Centre
• Newton Community Hospital
• Rainhill Clinic

Our Booking Office is open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm

Tel: 01744 626 666