NHS Islington...

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Community Matrons

Who is the service is for?

The service is for local people who have been identified and agreed by their GP as having highly complex health needs. They may be at risk of hospital admission where that admission may be avoided with early treatment. Many people seen by Community Matrons have two or more underlying health conditions.

What are Community Matrons?

Community Matrons are registered nurses who have had additional specialist training. This enables them to physically assess people and to prescribe medicines for them when necessary.

Community Matrons aim to be the patient and family’s single point of contact for people with complex and difficult long term conditions. They help people to navigate their way through the healthcare system smoothly and efficiently.

Community Matrons are linked to individual GP practices but work closely with community health and social care services and hospitals. They aim to reduce people’s time in hospital and to work proactively to enable people to stay in their own homes.

What does the service do?

• The service aims to improve both people’s health and health experience by identifying and treating existing health problems early, to prevent them getting worse and possibly leading to a hospital admission.
• The Matrons work with people and their families so that patients can understand and manage their own health better.
• The service aims to reduce hospital stays by working closely with local hospitals to get people home as soon as possible.
• Matrons work with patients to ensure that hospital outpatient appointments are used to the best advantage.
• The Matron coordinates and leads the care when several services are involved, for example where there may be a District Nurses and rehabilitation team working with the individual as well as a social work team.
• The service aims to maximise quality of life and promote independence

Where is the service delivered?

The Community Matron service delivers direct care to people in their own homes. However, it also uses health locations across Islington to deliver group sessions and clinics.

How do patients access the service?

People are referred to the service by either their GP or another health professional. People who are at a high risk of being admitted to hospital are referred to the service.

Related services

Community Rehabilitation
District Nursing
End of Life Care
Expert Patient's Programme (EPP)
REACH team