Placement Overview
| Placement Title | Westhoughton DN |
| Trust | |
| Your Placement Contact | Susan Postlewaite, Fiona Smith – Send Email |
| Placement Contact’s Role | |
| Placement Address | Winifred Kettle Centre, Washacre, Greenhalgh lane, westhoughton, Bolton, BL5 2NE |
| Placement City/Town: | Bolton |
| Placement Phone | 01204 335050 |
| Your University Contact: | Gaynor Fenton – Send Email |
About this placement
What is organised for students on commencement of placement?
All students will have a Trust induction on their first day. Students will arrive about 9am on their second morning and will be shown round the centre by a member of the Team and introduced to appropriate staff and made to feel welcome.
At some time during their first day, a member of their Team will go through the Induction list with them, as per the assessment booklet. E.g. sickness reporting, health and safety information files, location of policy files, etc.
They will be shown modes of communication and mail points, location of message books, fax machine, email access, any teaching and learning resources, and a brief overview of the management structure of the Trust.
Hours of duty and uniform policy will be discussed. They will meet their mentor at the earliest opportunity but will have a named person to relate to until their mentor is available. The student’s initial interview will take place at the earliest opportunity but certainly within the first week.
What are the arrangements for mentors/assessors?
Adult branch students are allocated a mentor within a District Nursing Team prior to arrival at their placement and will have the name of their mentor given in the welcome letter sent out by the Clinical Placement Co-ordinator.
Students are asked to contact the placement one week before their starting date to confirm their arrival. All mentors have a mentorship qualification. All Specialist Practitioners are nurse prescribers.
What shift patterns are students allocated for learning?
Early:
Late:
Night:
Shift Notes:
All students will work a thirty seven and a half hour week over five days. Generally this will be 8.30am until 5pm Monday to Friday but this may be negotiated with their mentor. One hour is allocated for lunch.
Students are expected to work a minimum of one weekend, preferably with their mentor, during an average allocation of six weeks. Students are also expected to work a minimum of two evenings during an average allocation of six weeks.
Some areas have an integrated day/evening service and students will be able to work on a rota system to fit in with their mentor. Where this is not the case, students will access the evening service based at Pikes Lane Centre by prior arrangement and negotiation.
What patient care situations are available in this placement?
- Care of patients in their own home or Treatment Clinics
- Care of patients in Residential Care Homes, Neighbourhood Network Homes
- Acute and non-acute medical and post-operative care
- Wide and varied range of wound care with extensive range of wound dressings
- Compliance and non-compliance of treatments
- Maintenance treatments of anaemias, vitamin deficiencies, hormone disorders
- Care of patients with eye problems, post cataract, glaucoma, blindness
- Palliative and terminal care
- Shared care with Social services and other agencies
- Care of the acute and chronically ill – short and long term care.
- Health promotion situations.
- Continence assessments and treatments.
- Care of the catheterised patient
- Caring for patients with learning disabilities, Alzheimers disease, etc.
- Bowel care – acute and chronic
- Diabetic care – insulin and non-insulin dependent
- Care of patients diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis preventing hospital admissions.
- Paraplegic patient care
- Follow up care of patients who have had day surgery
What nursing model is used for planning care?
Generally Orem’s model of self care and also Roper, Logan and Tierney’s model based on the activities of daily living. Other models may be used in individual situations appropriate to the needs of the patient.
What core clinical skills can be learnt?
- Ear syringing
- Male and female urinary catheterisation
- Venepuncture
- Recording of blood pressure, blood sugar
- Injections – subcutaneous and intramuscular
- Administration of eye drops, creams, lotions
- Administration of suppositories, enemas, rectal medication
- Aseptic technique and wound care
- Bandaging, wool and crepe and understanding of four layer support
- Removal of sutures and clips
What additional clinical skills can be learnt?
- Stoma care
- Central line management
- Use and maintenance of the syringe driver
- Care of eye prosthesis
- Care of supra pubic catheter
- Setting up and maintenance of parenteral feeding regimes
- Understanding of the administration of Zoladex injections
- Care of gastrostomy
- PEG feeds
- Doppler assessments
- Care of chemotherapy and intravenous therapy
- Care of tracheostomy
What resources are available to help students learning?
All areas have resource information available for students, full internet access and also access to the main healthcare databases e.g. CINAHL, following input of a password and code. Many areas have their own area specific induction pack for students with information pertaining to the individual placement.
What research and practice development activities are being undertaken?
Spoke Placements
Additional Information
Specific learning opportunities offered to students
ADULT:
The nursing staff at this base operated an integrated service with evening care and so the shifts are generally 8.30am – 5pm, and 12md – 8pm. Students are encouraged to gain experience of the work in both shift patterns. The nurses here run a leg ulcer clinic and do Doppler assessments and compression bandaging. They are trained to give Zoladex injections and also in central line management. They are currently setting up clinical supervision in which the students are encouraged to be involved. There is a comprehensive student welcome pack and also an induction package. There is a great deal of information here, books, journals and research articles and many learning packages which previous students have developed.
CHILD:
This healthcare base is in a community clinic which is in a semi-rural position on the outskirts of Bolton covering a large geographical area.
Philosophy of the placement area
We aim to provide an optimum learning environment for all students in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere to help students gain an insight into community nursing.