2 March 2023

Supporting each other at Hailsham Health Centre

Michelle Harmer is a clinical facilitator for the Hailsham primary care network. We talked to her about her team, what they do, and how they support each other.

Michelle’s team provide a wide range of nursing care and support in the home and clinical setting.  The team provide ongoing support for patients with short term or complex health needs, long term conditions or palliative care needs, as well as nursing care interventions to individuals assessed as being housebound.

“Our philosophy is to provide high quality, evidence-based nursing care in the home and in a clinical setting,” says Michelle. “We are involved in multi-disciplinary working aiming to reduce unplanned admissions and improve health outcomes.”

The team is made up of a variety of roles including senior staff nurses, district nurses, clinical facilitators, nurse associates and associate practitioners, health care assistants and admin staff.

They are based at Hailsham Health Centre alongside a few other teams from the trust, including community midwives and bladder and bowel services. All the teams make sure to support one another and look after each other’s wellbeing.  One of the wellbeing initiatives Michelle’s team started is a food donation box.

“We started the food box last winter as fuel costs were rising and it was widely publicised that nurses were accessing foodbanks. We worried that colleagues may be concerned about stigma attached to foodbanks, or feel that their situation, although they were in need, did not warrant a foodbank. We wanted to enable support and provide supplies in a confidential way.”

The food box has been placed in a communal space in the building where it is easily accessible. But where there is not much foot traffic so that it can be used confidentially. Colleagues can add food to it or take food when they are in need.

“I hope it enables people to continue to feel supported and cared for,” says Michelle. “Times are tough and you are not alone. There is no shame in needing some help from time to time and we hope that if you have accessed the food box it has helped in some way.”