Introduction
The HMR IV Therapy Team is a service provided by Rochdale Care Organisation Division of Integrated and Community Services.
This leaflet provides further information about the services and what to expect when having IV therapy.
If you have any questions after reading this information, please contact us on the details provided at the end of this leaflet.
What is IV Therapy?
Your doctor/consultant has advised that you need IV Therapy. IV Therapy (or intravenous therapy) involves providing a liquid- based medicine directly into a vein. People may need IV Therapy for a short or long-term illness, or following surgery or an accident.
About the service
We provide IV antibiotics in the community to people aged 18 years and above.
Our role is to provide you with high quality and individualised treatment to help you recover from an illness or injury, or to manage your long-term illness so you can enjoy the best quality of life and avoid where possible extended hospital admissions.
Our Aims
By providing effective and efficient IV Therapy in the community we aim to:
- Support you to be more independent
- Minimise disruption to your everyday life
- Help you avoid having to go into/stay in hospital unnecessarily
Our Staff
The service is run by dedicated IV Therapy Nurses and supported by Advanced Practitioners. All of our staff are highly qualified, experienced and committed to providing the best care to meet your needs.
Where is the service based?
Our clinic is on SDEC (Same Day Emergency Care), Level B at Rochdale Infirmary Whitehall Street, Rochdale OL12 0NB. If you are unable to attend due to transport issues we can arrange patient transport.
Domiciliary
If you meet the housebound criteria then therapy will be provided in your usual place of residency. That could be your own home or your residential or nursing home. An assessment will determine if you meet the criteria and you will be regularly re-assessed throughout your treatment.
The housebound criteria is a patient who, due to illness, disease or disability is unable to leave their home without considerable help and support from another person(s) or the ambulance service. They are not able to function outside their home without support and cannot therefore receive their care in any other treatment environment because of their diminished functioning.
Advice about your cannula
To enable us to administer your IV Therapy, it is necessary for you to have a cannula inserted. This cannula could be in place for up to a week but will be changed regularly if your treatment is for longer.
The cannula goes through your skin into a vein and allows us to give you your medicines directly into your bloodstream. You will have a waterproof dressing over your cannula to keep it in place.
Advice about your Picc Line
If your treatment is long term then you may require a Picc Line.
A Picc Line is a thin soft tube that is inserted into a vein in the upper part of the arm and is placed into a long vein in your chest. This is arranged by the IV Therapy team. This can stay in situ for the length of your treatment.
Treatment and Bloods can be administered/obtained via the Picc Line. A dressing will be in place over the entry site to protect the line from becoming dislodged and this will be changed weekly.
Additional Information
Regular blood monitoring may be needed throughout your treatment. We will do this for you.
On rare occasions some people may have an allergic reaction to the cannula. Our nurses are trained to deal with this and will provide you with further information about your cannula.
The nurse will stay with you throughout your treatment and for a period of time after to monitor your condition and check for any side effects.
Hours of operation
The IV Therapy service is available from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Contact details
Our office phone number is 01706 517985 – From 8am to 4pm Monday to Friday
The Duty Phone number is 07966 240712 - From 8am to 8pm 7 days a week – please leave a voicemail if there is no reply and we will get back to you.
Date of Review: July 2023
Date of Next Review: July 2025
Ref No: PI_ICS_256 (HMR)