This December, we brought you our Transforming Integrated Care in the Community (TICC) project:

'The 12 days of TICCMAS'

First, meet our Neighbourhood Nursing Team and find out what the TICC project is all about

 

 

 

 

On the first day of #TICCMAS

Follow the Neighbourhood Nursing Team's story as they tell us how they have adapted to the Buurtzorg neighbourhood nursing approach and the positive impact it has had on the local community.

"The initial coming together of the team was both exciting and nerve-wracking. It was a new concept and we knew as a team that it would be challenging.

The Buurtzorg nurses were very supportive and we gained a lot of knowledge and confidence from speaking to them regularly. Attending public world training helped us to gain more knowledge of neighbourhood nursing and to learn about the framework, team roles, being a self-managing team, the integration of health and social care and lots more.

Finding our office was an exciting milestone. We were able to access an office based in one of the GP surgeries and this allowed us to build really good relationships with the GPs. As our team grew and developed, we made a team decision to move to the Walter Brice Centre next to the GP surgery where we now have the space and resources to best suit our team."

On the second day of #TICCMAS 

Going to Amsterdam to see how the TICC nurses work

"Going to Amsterdam was extremely useful for seeing how a fully functioning neighbourhood nurse team works. It was lovely to see the relationships between the Buurtzorg nurses and their patients, developed through spending more time with the patients and being able to meet both their health and social care needs.

It was exciting to be able to see first-hand how committed the nurses in Amsterdam are to the Buurtzorg concept and how they keep things very simple, such as riding bikes to get from one patient to another and having less equipment to transport from patient to patient.

Overall, visiting Amsterdam and meeting the Buurtzorg nurses was an amazing experience which we gained alot from."

On the third day of #TICCMAS - 'Becoming a self-managing team'

"Becoming a self-managing team has meant that all of us take responsibility for our own roles and we have adapted to this well. Having set roles and rotating them has allowed all team members to feel equally responsible and needed, which we believe has boosted our confidence as professionals.

We are now able to manage our own time and caseload, making better use of our working time to provide the highest standard of care for our patients. We get a lot of praise from our patients and we are able to build trusted relationships with them."

On the fourth day of  #TICCMAS

'Meeting the founder of neighbourhood nursing, Jos De Blok'

"We went to London to meet with the founder of neighbourhood nursing, Jos De Blok, to get a better understanding of what it involves. Whilst there, we had the opportunity to meet with neighbourhood nursing teams from other areas and we were able to ask lots of questions about their experiences. It was extremely useful to get first-hand knowledge of the meaning behind it and how it came to be."

On the fifth day of  #TICCMAS

'Promoting the TICC pilot project'

"Three members of our team attended an open day at Greenwich University to promote neighbourhood nursing and spread awareness of our new way of working.

They spoke with other healthcare professionals, such as midwives and paramedics, educating them on neighbourhood nursing and there were opportunities for people to sign up to spend a day with the pilot team to get a better understanding of how it works."

On the sixth day of #TICCMAS

'Making headlines'

"Our team member Nikki took part in a video on the local news alongside one of our patients and her carer. The purpose of this was to create awareness of neighbourhood nursing and to give the perspective of a patient who has felt the benefit of our new way of working.

Our patient and her carer were very eager to take part in this and praised the care that she received during her time with us. Having a named nurse meant that this patient was able to receive more continuity of care and it was very rewarding for the team to hear such positive feedback.

Unfortunately, this patient is no longer with us and we were very fortunate as a team to be able to support this patient and her family throughout her time with us and during her last days."

On the seventh day of  #TICCMAS

'The Dutch nurses visit Medway'

"Having the Dutch nurses spend time with us and our patients was a lovely experience. It was a great opportunity for us to ask lots of questions about what it means to them to be Buurtzorg nurses. It also gave our patients the opportunity to ask questions about how neighbourhood nursing works and for our patients to feel more involved in the process.

The Dutch nurses were kind enough to give out china clogs to our patients and it was also a great opportunity for the Dutch nurses to be able to give us feedback and to put forward suggestions on how we can continue to grow as a neighbourhood nursing team and service."

On the eighth day of #TICCMAS

'Coping through a pandemic'

"Working through a global pandemic with the most vulnerable of patients has taught us a lot about ourselves as healthcare professionals. We are extremely proud of how we have been able to continue to provide such a high standard of holistic care and how we have pulled together as a team.

All team members took part weekly in the clap for key workers and we put together our own Tic Toc in support of the NHS and to boost team morale. "

On the ninth day of #TICCMAS

'The great fire of Hoo Marina'

"When we heard about the big fire at Hoo Marina, as a team we instantly wanted to help. Many of our team members came into work early and began contacting our patients closest to the fire to ensure that they were OK, and to check they were able to get to a place of safety.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire and we were able to walk round all of the meeting points to check that our patients and the other residents in the area did not need any medical assistance. All members of our team carried an observation kit in case anyone needed to be checked and we even managed to reunite a couple who had lost each other during the chaos of the fire."

On the tenth day of our #TICCMAS

'The development of the nurse associate role within the TICC team'

"The nurse associate role has really developed within the TICC team and it has provided more training and educational opportunities to team members who are looking to progress.

The nursing associates within our team have worked really hard to progress to this level and it has given them the chance to have more responsibility and to provide a wider range of skills within the team. It has benefited the team hugely as they now have new skills and knowledge which they are able to use to benefit our patients."

The eleventh day of #TICCMAS

Our Neighbourhood Nurse, Jo Godman:

"When the Rainham neighbourhood nursing team went live in October, it was with some trepidation. Despite the team members not all knowing each other, the feeling of everyone pulling together was there from the start.

Three weeks in to our TICC experience and we had four of our patients rapidly deteriorate. The team rose to the challenge, altering our rota and sharing the load with visits being redistributed to ensure the patients needs are met and that each and every member of staff is supported.

I think this has shown early on our resilience to adapt to the unexpected, and to put the needs of our patients at the centre of what we do.

I feel I have been able to get to know our patients better already and have felt an immediate benefit from the continuity of care. The feedback from our patients and their families and carers has been positive."

On the twelfth and final day of #TICCMAS

Karen, TICC Coach and Vicky, Clinical Nurse Manager, spread some Christmas cheer!