I HAVE been a user of the district nursing service in Urmston for many years.

During this period, I have had the pleasure of seeing regular teams of dedicated nurses visiting and performing their respective duties professionally, efficiently and with a warm smile, which was always so reassuring.

Before very long these special people become more than nurses, they become friends.

Over the past few years, I have noticed that the service has allowed some of these experienced and dedicated nurses to leave the service prematurely simply because they are expected to do the same job with less staff because the hierarchy, as I understand it, will not to fill the vacancies.

Even new, promising student nurses have left because they have had enough.

District nursing used to be one of the most stable professions because nobody left until retirement and the vacancies were soon filled.

Now nurses turn up who you have never seen before when it used to be at least one of the regular team.

There is now no time for pleasantries, just a quick in and out because of the amount of work that is expected of them.

It is what I call ‘fire brigade’ nursing – always in a hurry – with so many clients to see. There is also the danger of no continuity of care so mistakes can occur.

All work is entered in diaries to show how much work is undertaken but, I am not sure this is checked as it would reveal the exceptional workloads and show the true volume of the care that is undertaken.

I consider that the local district nursing is in crisis because unless this exodus is halted, clients who rely on this service will be the ones that suffer.

They sit with clients when tragedy strikes, awaiting GPs or the ambulance or extra assistance because of falls etc.

The existing bands of loyal and caring nurses are the ones helping to maintain the credibility of the service to their clients when they so desperately need the help and support of their superiors.

I do hope this plea does not fall on deaf ears.

Name and address supplied