Working in partnership to achieve person centred care

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

The Community Learning Disability Team at Betsi Cadwaladr UHB were aware that improvement was needed to enhance the lives of people dependent on a gastrostomy tube, since some patients had not been able to move into their own homes because domiciliary care staff were not able to administer medication. People were unable to lead their lives to the maximum potential as they were dependent on visits from District Nurses to administer medication before they could go out.

Domiciliary support staff have been supported for a long time to be able to meet individuals’ nutrition and hydration needs, but the administration of medication has always been implemented by the District Nurses. A project was initiated with the aim to enable domiciliary care staff to be in a position whereby they could administer medication via a gastrostomy tube to the people they support in their own homes. 

Bringing together health professionals from across a number of different areas - including Nutritional Nurses, District Nurses, Medicines Management Nurses and Local Authority Registered Managers - a strategy was implemented to review and extend the current process which enabled domiciliary support staff to meet people’s nutritional and hydration needs, leading to the development of clear process and governance documentation, risk assessments and the education resources required to support the additional care service of medication administration.

The process was reviewed and developed to enable domiciliary care staff to receive the training and support by which they could administer medication via a gastrostomy tube. This person-centred care strategy has reduced the restriction of where people with a learning disability and gastronomy tube can live. People can be given all medication as prescribed, administrated in a timely fashion and to meet their needs, and are no longer dependant on the visit from a District Nurse to administer medication.

Penny Bailey

penny.bailey@wales.nhs.uk