"The care my mum had from the district nurse team"

My mum had the district nurse team in St Austell caring for her from December 2023 up to when she died at home mid July 2025. They did a fantastic job and at times were attending to her, changing bandages on her legs and feet on a daily basis. With improvements and healing to her legs and feet these visits became less but were still at least once a week. My mum already had a diagnosis of vascular dementia at this time. Their dedication and care was brilliant and went beyond just the management of the infection in her legs.

They also advised on her anxiety, which lead to her being prescribed medication by her GP and also helped us to get incontinence products on the NHS too.

When my mum became bed bound they came out and assessed her and applied to Marie Curie for end of life care for her too. They communicated with our GP surgery ensuring that appropriate medication was available as she needed it. At this stage they were again on call on a daily basis and were a great support to me at was a very stressful and distressing time.

St Austell District Nurses and Healthcare Assistants are a large team but their care felt very personal and individual to the needs of my mum and me as her career. I will be forever grateful to them for ensuring my mum’s final days were peaceful, calm and dignified as she passed away at home in her sleep. They deserve the highest praise possible, thank you just doesn’t seem enough.