Monday 28 November 2016. Five nurses and two hospital Directors from China came to discover the value of community healthcare on Ranmore Ward in Dorking Community Hospital. Ward manager Jenny Coombes was on hand to demonstrate the pros of community healthcare, discuss key health matters and show how patients benefit from a team of nurses and therapists who work together to support patient rehabilitation.
The trip was organised by Zoe Ying Han, a nurse who is currently working with us. Knowing the nurses were keen to learn more about community healthcare, which is underdeveloped in China, where most care outside of the acute hospitals is limited.
The nurses from Beijing’s Xuanwu Hospital were greeted by Ranmore Ward Manager Jenny Coombes. The Hospital’s Nursing Director Bin Ru Han and the Deputy Director Dong Ting Ting and their team of five nurses started the visit discussing how they can improve the nursing practices back home. Manual handling was a key issue, with many nursing staff in Xuanwu Hospital suffering from back injuries due to limited training and resources.
Hoists and sliding sheets at the ready, Ranmore Ward Manager Jenny Coombes demonstrated the ward’s manual handling equipment, much to the delight of the visitors. She says: “We really enjoyed welcoming the nurses and Directors and sharing examples of different nursing practice. It was particularly nice to see their faces when trying out our hoists as they realised ‘there is another way!’”.
Xuanwu Hospital’s Nursing Director Bin Ru Han was particularly interested in how the team uses rehabilitation as part of the hospital stay, and how they use coloured wrist bands to indicate the patient’s mobility needs. She says: “I am looking forward to taking this information back home.”
As an organisation we set a standard in terms of community healthcare, which is why others around the world countries are taking note. Jenny Coombes says: “It made us appreciate even more how fortunate we are in the UK to have the NHS and health services provided out in the community rather just in big hospitals.”
Bin Ru Han says: “We were very happy with what we have seen today, especially how the patients’ needs feed into the patients’ care. We are leaving with a very good impression. There was good demonstration on how to use equipment when moving patients, which our team found very helpful.”