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Having the same nurse visit Jeanette Miller’s home over a two-month period to treat a leg wound helped her recover much faster, the 80-year-old says.
Jeanette seriously grazed her lower right shin after falling on a concrete slab on her way to lunch with her husband in Noumea in October 2019.
The deep wound bled profusely and was treated with disinfectant and dressings. Upon her arrival home to Auckland two days later, Jeanette visited a GP.
After a few visits to the GP, she was asked if she would like some free ACC wound care home visits from a Healthvision NZ nurse to help the wound heal.
“I said yes straight away. I didn’t even know that you could get that type of help, but I’m so glad I did,” Jeanette says.
She describes her Healthvision nurse Pat Mankelow as “wonderful”.
Pat visited Jeanette in the comfort of her own home twice a week over a two-month period, starting at the end of November 2019.
Speedy recovery
Jeanette says the home visits helped speed up her recovery.
“It was nice to have consistency with the same nurse. I had so much confidence because the same person was treating me every time. She was always punctual too.
“She put a lot of thought and care into how to treat my wound and it has healed beautifully. She always told me what she was doing and why in a really clear way,” she says.
“Pat knew so much about wounds and gave me great confidence that it would heal. She was so professional and had all the right equipment to treat the wound.”
Jeanette says she looked forward to Pat’s visits.
“She was such good fun and we got to know each other and build up trust. I miss her visits now.”
She says having her come to her house was convenient.
“It meant I didn’t have to drive or travel anywhere to get to my appointments, which made it so much easier.”
Faster healing outcomes
Healthvision’s national manager of nursing and rehabilitation Julia Morris says having the same registered nurse from the beginning to the end of a patient’s treatment ensures continuity of care and faster healing outcomes.
“Our team of specialist wound care nurses can visit ACC patients in their home, work or school and have access to highly specialised burn and wound dressings, which is all free of charge to patients.”
Julia says if there are any underlying vascular conditions, Healthvision can provide patients with a Doppler assessment and issue two pairs of free compression stockings if necessary.
How to refer to Healthvision:
Healthvision accepts free ACC burn and wound referrals for patients in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Christchurch.
E-referrals can be made electronically via Medtech32, Medtech Evolution, MyPractice and indici.
If you’re not sure how, Healthvision can provide free training. Simply call Healthvision on 0508 733 377, email [email protected] or call their relationship manager on 022 5900 125.
If your practice uses Medtech32:
- Open the patient record
- Select the HealthLink icon
- Click on the ACC Burn and Wound Care link currently located at the top of the right column, under ‘Referred Services’
