Community nursing teams in Stoke-on-Trent were pleased to welcome NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Head of Community Nursing, Sam Sherrington on Friday 17 September.

Community nursing services care for patients who are housebound and unable to travel to their GP practice. District Nurses visit people in their own homes, aiming to avoid unnecessary admission to hospital. Ms Sherrington represents the speciality at a national level.

Ms Sherrington spent time with MPFT's community nursing teams in South, Central and North Stoke and the out of hours nursing service in Stoke. She also paid a visit to the staff and volunteers at the MPFT managed Covid-19 vaccination centre in Tunstall.  

The visit was arranged by Anne Roberts, a District Nurse Sister and Operational Lead for Stoke Central Primary Care Network. Anne, who is also a staff well-being champions, said: “We were pleased to welcome Ms Sherrington to our services and to share with her the great work that continues to be done by our teams here in Stoke-on-Trent.

“During the visit our teams and Ms Sherrington discussed the creation of a national network to allow clinicians to share best practice and to support discussion. We also had very interesting conversations about the promotion of community nursing in relation to the NHS five year plan and how community nursing is at the forefront of healthcare.

“Ms Sherrington praised the community nursing staff who have, and continue to, work extremely hard particularly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. She stated that it was a pleasure to visit us and to see first-hand how engaged our teams are.  

“The visit from a well-respected lead in our field, has given a real morale boost to our community nursing staff. It’s always appreciated when the care and commitment that our staff give to our patients is recognised.

“And of course, we couldn’t let her go without some good North Staffordshire oatcakes!”