Neighbourhood Nurse project 2003-2006

The West Coast District Health Board Neighbourhood Nurses project was awarded Primary Health Care Innovations Funding in March 2003, and began in July 2003. 

The Neighbourhood Nurse role was modelled on the West Coast DHB's Rural Nurse Specialist role. It was essentially designed to offer people and families a more indepth and continuous relationship with a nurse who would support them in defining and achieving their own health objectives. For some, the nurse may act as a case manager over an extended period, for others, the contact may be briefer.

Unfortunately the project's webpage is no longer live, but here are two resources from the project:

• Colleague referral leaflet
• Client information leaflet.

The community care organisation, Buurtzorg, is receiving international attention and is based on principles similar to those we advocated in the Neighbourhood Nurse project. Our idea was to ‘allow’ the nurse to do what was needed in the situation, rather than the care being shaped or limited by contracts.  Buurtzorg was set up by Jos de Blok, a Dutch nurse - how it came about in his own words.