District nursing referral form

A referral form and supporting criteria has been developed to make it easier to refer housebound patients to District Nursing (DN) services across NHS Lothian. You must use this form whether the patient resides in Edinburgh, East, Mid or West Lothian. All you need to do is sent it to the relevant team. Email addresses are on the form.

Referral criteria

Includes but not limited to:

• Wound care assessments
• Pressure care assessments
• Continence assessment (if housebound and on district nursing caseload)
• Administration of treatment or medication using specialise nursing equipment
• Injections (including insulin)
• Urinary catheters
• Palliative care
• Single episode i.e. removal of sutures or clips, bloods (alongside another nursing need)
• Teaching self-care procedures to patient and/ or their carers

Please note: end of life, emergency or public holiday visits should be discussed with the district nursing team directly.

Form on the intranet

The referral form can be found on the NHS Intranet > Directory A-D > District Nursing Community Nurse Review Referral Form.

There are plans for the form to be available via TRAK in the future but this will take time.

Referrals will be processed:

• Monday - Thursday: 08:00-16:00
• Friday: 08:00-13:00

Referrals received out with these hours are processed the next working day.

Additional information

Once the referral has been triaged the outcome will be entered by the DN team onto the current episode of Care Acute TRAK. The completion of a referral form does not negate the need for a prof to prof conversation for complex patient.