Intravenous (IV) Therapy Team - Bury Intravenous (IV) Therapy Team

Who are we?

We are a community service providing intravenous (IV) treatments to patients registered with a Bury GP.

Our role is to provide you with high quality and individualised treatment, to help you recover from an illness or injury, or to support you in managing your long-term illness so you can enjoy the best possible quality of life.

Our aims

By providing effective and efficient IV therapy in the community we aim to:

  • Reduce your length of stay in hospital by facilitating a safe early discharge
  • Avoid unnecessary hospital admission through safe and effective management of your illness/condition
  • Minimise disruption to your everyday life by providing timely access to community-based treatment and promoting your independence

Our Team

The immediate IV team consists of highly qualified and experienced nurses who are fully committed in providing high standards of individualised care, tailored specifically to each patient’s needs.

The wider multi-disciplinary team consists of:

Microbiologist – has shared clinical responsibility for your care along with the referring health care professional. They will help to decide on your antibiotic treatment and will continue to monitor your overall care and treatment to ensure a positive outcome is achieved.

Antimicrobial pharmacist – provides advice with regards to medications, specialising in antibiotic treatment.

Hospital at Home Service – consists of a range of medical professionals such as Nurses and Advanced Clinical Practitioners to ensure patients can be safely and conveniently cared for in the community without requiring a hospital admission.

Rapid Response – a multi-disciplinary team which includes nurses, therapists, and social workers to support patients in a crisis, with a focus on preventing avoidable admission to hospital or residential care.

Service Provision

Bury IV Therapy Team are based at Radcliffe Primary Care Centre, 69 Church Street West, Radcliffe, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M26 2SP.

Treatment is provided within the teams’ clinic in Room 28, Flower Suite, located on the ground floor at the Care Centre.

Home visits are carried out for patients who have limited mobility and/or who are unable to leave their home without considerable help and support. The team will assess this with you if it is felt home visits may be required. If home visits are necessary, the team are unable to provide an expected time of arrival but will do what they can to accommodate requests based on clinical need.

At least one of the IV Team nurses will be present with you whilst IV treatment is being administered.

Service Hours

Our service hours are 7.30am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday including bank holidays.

Contact Number

You can contact us on 07564 047 364. If we do not answer, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

You can leave a message outside of our service hours, however if it is regarding any deterioration in your health, please contact 111 or 999 in an emergency.

IV Access Devices

To enable us to administer your IV treatment you will need an IV access device. Commonly used devices used within the team are a cannula, midline or PICC line.

Cannula

The team will insert a cannula through your skin and into your vein so the medication can be administered directly into your bloodstream. The cannula is secured with a waterproof dressing, and the team will monitor the cannula and dressing on every visit to ensure it is in the correct position and to check for any signs of infection. The cannula can remain in place between treatments, so the team will secure it after each use.

How you can look after your cannula

Please avoid getting the cannula wet and contact the team (or 111/999 outside of service hours) if you notice any pain, redness, bleeding, fluid leakage, swelling, or if it becomes dislodged so it can be attended to.

Midline

A midline is a long, flexible tube which us inserted into a large vein in the upper arm.

If you already have a Midline in place, the IV team will take over Midline care and management.

If you do not have a Midline already in situ and you are on a long course of treatment or have poor venous access, the team may discuss having a Midline inserted. This is with the aim of supporting your vessel health and preservation. If you agree to having a Midline inserted, the team will refer you to a specialist so one can be inserted as an outpatient procedure.

The Midline is secured with a waterproof dressing and the team will monitor the entry site and line length on every administration, or weekly if no longer on daily IV treatment. This is to ensure it is in the correct position and to check for any signs of infection.

How you can look after your Midline

Please ensure your Midline dressing is always kept dry. If/when having a bath, please check the insertion site and tip of the Midline is not sitting in the water. This will help to prevent the line from becoming infected. It is also advisable to avoid strenuous activities while the Midline is in place as this will prevent the line from becoming dislodged or accidentally pulled out.
 
Please contact the team (or 111/999 if not during service hours) if you experience any:

  • Pain, redness, oozing or swelling around the insertion site
  • Bleeding from the insertion site
  • The external visible length of the Midline is longer than first inserted/last checked by IV team
  • Temperature of 38 degrees, a fever and/or chills, especially right after the line is flushed with saline
  • Leaking or cracked line

PICC Line

A PICC line is a long, flexible tube which is inserted via one of the veins in the upper arm and placed so it is sat in the large vein just above your heart.

If you already have a PICC line in place, the IV team will take over PICC line care and management.

If you do not have a PICC line already in situ and you are on a long course of treatment or have poor venous access, the team may discuss having a PICC line inserted. This is with the aim of supporting your vessel health and preservation. If you agree to having a PICC line inserted, the team will refer you to a specialist so one can be inserted as an outpatient procedure.

The PICC line is secured with a waterproof dressing and the team will monitor the entry site and line length on every administration, or weekly if no longer on daily IV treatment. This is to ensure it is in the correct position and to check for any signs of infection.

How you can look after your PICC

Please ensure your PICC line dressing is always kept dry and when having a bath, checking the insertion site and tip of the PICC is not sitting in the water. This will help to prevent the line from becoming infected. Its also advisable to avoid strenuous activities while the PICC line is in place as this will prevent the line from becoming dislodged or accidentally pulled out.

Please contact the team (or 111/999 if not during service hours) if you experience any:

  • Bleeding from the insertion site
  • Temperature of 38℃, a fever and/or chills, especially right after the line is flushed with saline
  • Leaking or a cracked line
  • Pain and swelling of the arm, neck, and chest
  • The external visible length of the PICC line is longer than first inserted/last checked by IV team
  • Redness and inflammation of the insertion site

Discharge

When you are ready for discharge from the IV team, your venous access device will be removed, along with any stock/equipment from your property if we provided home visits.

We will also send a letter to your GP to inform them of the treatment we have provided and any other relevant information in relation to your care.
 

Date of Review: July 2024
Date of Next Review: July 2026
Ref No: PI_C_1955 (Bury)

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