‘English Nursing Care Services’: Superior care in one’s own home

By Fathima Riznaz Hafi

Bringing the quality of home nursing services to a new level through the incorporation of expertise from the UK, ‘English Nursing Care Services’ was launched in Colombo last week. 

A subsidiary company from the United Kingdom, it offers care of high standard and compassion for elders, enabling them to live full, safe and happy lives. Its services extend to people suffering from long-term illnesses as well, using the latest technologies in wound care and diabetic care in the comfort of their own home. It also provides support in hospitals, which is especially needed when family members are not available and the service continues after discharge to assist in recovery. 

Supervised by a team of registered nurses, the venture aims to bring a change to present nursing services in Sri Lanka, under the management of a UK team which comes with 50 years of experience in the field. 

Chief Guest at the event British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives James Dauris noted that UK being renowned for its excellence in healthcare, can bring about an enhancement in the quality of local nursing practices, by sharing their knowledge and skills in Sri Lanka. 

He commended the efforts of English Nursing Care Services and highlighted the value their nurses will bring into the lives of the elderly. “Nurses can help to develop the sort of care to people in their own homes that enables them to live their lives with dignity, see through oldness and convalescence with dignity; the sort of care that brings reassurance to members of their families who may be far away but feel deeply responsible for them; that is a service which is of great value.”

The new home nursing venture is adapted for Sri Lanka and has a support team from the UK working closely with the local team, frequently visiting the island to provide management oversight, nursing supervision and training. Weekly case management conferences with the UK based team are also held to promote the best in patient care. 

English Nursing Care Services Managing Director Richard Gould said, “We’ve taken best practice in UK social care and community nursing techniques, around person-centred care, safe moving and handling procedures, medication compliance and record keeping, and we ally that to excellent Sri Lankan nursing practice on the ground. Our service will be nurse-supervised to a level not seen here before and will be watched over by a Consultant Physician. 

“Home nursing is ultimately about people; it’s about clients we serve and the quality of our staff and I will have a relentless focus on ensuring that our staff upholds the highest standard of integrity, practical nursing skills and compassion. Professionally managed, supervised and supported, my management team and I look forward to developing a home nursing service that Sri Lankan families can come to rely on.”

Elaborating on how their work will be carried out, English Nursing Care Services Director of Nursing Fiona Eccles said, “Care plans will be drawn up by our registered nurses who will also oversee every aspect of care on a reliable basis. Reliability and quality of care is key to the service we provide and therefore we have developed a robust quality assurance protocol. We have a team of three UK-trained nurses working alongside our expert Sri Lankan nurses and we will carry out both regular and unannounced home visits to assess the standards of care being delivered and client satisfaction.”

“Action plans will be drawn up to address any shortfalls in the service provided. This process of review, feedback and action planning to further develop the service we provide, is key to maintaining the highest possible standards of care,” she added.

English Nursing Care Services hopes to change the perception of home nursing in Sri Lanka and with its launch, it assures reliable, value-for-money community nursing care.