What happens when I report for duty to a new assignment?
About two days before a new booking (i.e. with a patient who has not previously had a Consultus Nurse) you should contact the patient or their representative to introduce yourself and confirm your anticipated time of arrival. A Nurse Consultant will have carefully gone through the patient's Care Needs Assessment with you prior to the placement and will have arranged for a family member/representative to be there when you arrive. For established bookings we ask you to contact the current Live-in Nurse to confirm your travel arrangements.
For all assignments we ask you to arrive around midday. If you are taking over from another Consultus Nurse you will receive a handover that can last between 1-2 hours. No Nurse should leave a booking until their replacement has arrived and the handover has been conducted to the satisfaction of them both. Details of the handover must be shown in the patient's notes.
As the outgoing Nurse it is your job to launder your bed linen and remake the bed for your replacement and to prepare lunch for the patient and the incoming Nurse.
