Capturing the essence of care; An exhibition is on display in the North East to mark the 150th year of district nursing. Health Reporter HELEN RAE takes a look.A COLLECTION of contemporary and archive photographs and poems celebrating the 150th anniversary of district nursing is now on display at a Tyneside university. The 'On Firm Foundations' exhibition is a collaboration between the Queen's Nursing Institute In 1859, a philanthropic Liverpool merchant, William Rathbone, employed a nurse to care for his wife at home. After his wife’s death, Rathbone retained the nurse and asked her to help p oor people in the neighbourhood. (QNI QNI Queen's Nursing Institute (London, UK) QNI Q-Networks, Inc. QNI Quiet Night In ), Northumbria University's School of Health, Community and Education Studies, and Northumberland NHS Care Trust NHS Care Trusts, a class of NHS Trusts in the National Health Service of England and Wales are organisations that work in both health and social care. They may carry out a range of services, including social care, mental health services or primary care services. . Prof Rosemary Cook CBE CBE Commander of the Order of the British Empire (a Brit. title) CBE n abbr (= Companion of (the Order of) the British Empire) → tÃtulo de nobleza CBE n abbr (= , director of the Queen's Nursing Institute and visiting professor at Northumbria University, said: "Many things have changed in district nursing over the last 150 years, but the values and the principles we hold remain the same." District nursing began as an experiment in 1859 by Liverpool philanthropist and merchant William Rathbone VI William Rathbone VI (11 February 1819 — 6 March 1902, Liverpool) was a British politician noted for his philanthropic and public work. He sat as an Member of Parliament and was a member of the noted Rathbone family. , and has grown into a service that makes a significant contribution to the delivery of care outside of hospital. While modern district nursing involves the delivery of highly technical care, including diagnosis, prescribing and care management, the service remains true to its founding principles. Prof Kath McCourt, dean of the School of Health, Community and Education Studies at Northumbria said: "Since their the 19th century, district nurses have played a crucial role in providing nursing care that allows people to remain in their own homes and maintain their independence. "This exhibition brings to life exhibition. Her photographs feature community matrons Olive Lightley and Angela Bell from Northumberland Care Trust. Olive said: "I went out with the photographer to visit one of my the stories of generations of district nurses, past and present." Northumbria BSc (Hons) Contemporary Photographic Practice graduate, Pamela Raith, worked with local community nursing teams to capture the essence of care outside of the hospital environment for the patients with a chronic disease. "He was very excited about being asked to do something that celebrates the history of district nursing. He was grateful for the treatment he was able to receive in order to avoid hospital admission." Angela added: "Our patients and their families are glad that we can provide care for them within their own homes. The role of a district nurse has advanced over the years, so we can provide patients with a more holistic service." The photographs are supported by poetry and senior lecturer Sue Spencer has developed considerable experience of the use of creative writing both with students and within palliative care palliative care (paˑ·lē·ā·tiv kerˑ), n an approach to health care that is concerned primarily with attending to physical and emotional comfort rather . She said: "Approaching the world of healthcare through the lens of poetry helps people take more notice of the little things that can make a huge difference to people's experience of health care." On Firm Foundations is now open to members of the general public in the Clinical Skills Centre at Northumbria University's Coach Lane Campus until December. Opening times are between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. CAPTION(S): ART PROJECT - from left, Prof Rosemary Cook CBE with community matrons Angela Bell and Olive Lightley |
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