District Nursing

District Nursing services across Denbighshire and Conwy are under strain, a Conservative investigation has highlighted.

Figures revealed after a Freedom of Information request by Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Vale of Clwyd Matt Wright show a significant drop in the number of district nurses from 61 in 2004 to 40 at the beginning of 2009. Most recent figures for November 2009 put district nurses’ numbers at 42.

In 2004 this meant that there was the equivalent of just over 54 full time district nursing staff in 2004 reaching a low of 33 staff at the beginning of 2007 recovering to approximately 38 full time nurses in 2009.

“Our district nurses do excellent work and are under considerable pressure. Given that we’ve been told by the NHS Trust that more people are going to be treated in the community with the closure of community hospital in-patient beds, including the Royal Alex, I am shocked that these figures show that we have less district nurses available in the community than a few years ago.

“I’m also extremely disappointed that such key front line staff have been reduced over the past five years whilst little effort seems to have been made to address the number of NHS bureaucrats despite the creation of the new Health Board. We keep being told that community services can cope – but they are under extreme pressure.”