"My experience of Armagh District Nurse Team (Palliative Care)"

In April 2024 I was diagnosed with stage 4 High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer. This diagnosis came completely out of the blue and was extremely t*raumatic to me. To make matters worse I had to have emergency surgery in May 2024 following a perforated bowel which was caused by the tumour on my ovary. I had to have an irreversible stoma put in place. As a result of this surgery and further complications I became an inpatient in 3South Craigavon Area Hospital for nearly 8 weeks. 

During this admission i was unfortunate to require more surgery and a nephrostomy tube to be inserted. In such a short period of time my life was completely turned upside down. My experience in CAH was far from perfect and since then I have required a further 5 admissions to hospital ( both CAH and BCH). 

In Craigavon I found the wards to be extremely dirty despite myself and other inpatients highlighting the matter on numerous occasions. I found a lot of staff to be agency or bank and I was frequently met with unprofessional attitudes from uncaring and uncompassionate staff. As a nurse myself of 36 years I was embarrassed to let people know of my profession.

My general experience whilst an inpatient was negative however on discharge I was placed under the care of the Abbey Court Surgery (Armagh) Palliative Care District Nurses Team who were required to attend to me in my own home on a daily basis. 

Such a difference I experienced in standards of care that was delivered to me, restoring my faith in the nursing profession. The District Nursing Sister Dearbhla who later became known as my palliative care key worker. From the first day that I met her Dearbhla made me feel totally at ease and trusting of the care that was being provided to me.

She was at all time’s professional, caring and understanding of my needs and the experiences that I had had as a result of my recent cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgeries. She was empathetic and patient with me and I felt comfortable in her presence. This wonderful care did not stop with the nursing sister, every single member of the team, including bank staff displayed the same excellent skills both communication and clinical skills. Although I think it’s important to highlight that the use of bank staff was not a regular occurrence since I came under their care in June 2024 I have never once been placed under the care of an agency staff member. I am aware of the necessity to use agency staff from time to time however it is good and reassuring when it is not a regular occurrence and as a patient I feel confident in the continuity of familiar staff who build up a trusting relationship regardless of what staff come to attend to my needs. I always feel assured that they have been given a complete and thorough handover of my needs and that they were entirely familiar with my requirements and their responsibilities. This to me demonstrated good leadership skills and a high level of commitment to the needs of the service users. All staff showed a full, holistic understanding of my needs and I at all times felt heartened that these were met to the highest standards possible. This was in stark contrast to the care that I received in CAH and leaves me feeling encouraged that there is definitely exceptional care being delivered within the District Nursing Palliative Care Team on a daily basis and this continues to be of a high standard which is promising to myself or in deed any patient that may have been unfortunate enough to have to require their service. 

I am delighted and feel privileged to have experienced the care provided by this wonderful team and would totally recommend them to anyone who may need their help in the future.