Pennine Care Foundation Trust have integrated Flo into their community wound care pathway. Aimed specifically at supporting the shared management plan agreed between the patient and district nurse, empowering patients to self-manage their own wound care and providing a convenient alternative to visiting a treatment room or home visit.
Driven by the patient or carers level of skill, ability and confidence, the complexity and type of wound care is assessed and where the patient and clinician agree that supported self-management is appropriate Flo is commenced supported by a patient or carer competency framework ensuring confidence and skill. During the initial assessment the practitioner identifies where Flo can support wound management and provides appropriate resources including prescribed dressings, supporting Flo information, and resources to enable self care decision making (e.g. care plans, visual, written and/or video information).
Patients remain under the care of the District Nurse enabling unscheduled visits to be initiated should the patient require direct support or intervention. Early indications are that patients find Flo easy to use and are successfully self-managing their wound care. District nurse visits for the patients using Flo have reduced, with no unplanned visits generated, freeing up much needed time for this busy team to support patients with more complex needs. The support of Flo has encouraged patients and carers to feel confident and is expected to be scaled for use across the area.
For more information please contact Jan Maslen, Development Lead Integrated Adult Nursing, Pennine Care Foundation Trust j.maslen@nhs.net
Lisa Taylor, July 2015
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