A nursing care plan serves as a comprehensive roadmap outlining an individual’s nursing needs and detailing strategies for meeting them effectively. These plans are meticulously crafted to ensure that every aspect of the person’s care is addressed with precision and compassion.
In this guide, we explore the significance of nursing plans in providing tailored support and enhancing the overall wellbeing of individuals under nursing care.
What is a nursing care plan?
Care plans in nursing are comprehensive documents outlining an individual’s complex support and care needs. They detail how these needs will be addressed, ensuring person-centred care is consistently provided. These plans foster collaboration among various healthcare professionals, including carers, district nurses, and GPs, facilitating holistic and coordinated care.
Having a nursing care plan empowers individuals to actively participate in their care journey. At Prestige Nursing & Care, our dedicated nursing team spans across England and Scotland, ensuring personalised nurse-led care is accessible to all. We prioritise your autonomy and preferences, regardless of the complexity of your condition. By understanding you and your unique circumstances, we leverage our extensive expertise to deliver optimal nurse-led care in the comfort of your home.
What are the types of nursing care plans?
Nursing care plans come in two main types: standard care plans and individual care plans.
Standard care plans
These plans serve as general guides for carers, care managers, and nursing staff to ensure consistent and relevant care for individuals. They outline minimum criteria for care delivery and are particularly useful in settings where care routines are repeated for multiple individuals, such as nursing units or care homes. While standard care plans provide a foundational framework, they are not suitable for situations requiring person-centred, individualised care, such as home care provided by Prestige Nursing & Care.
Individual care plans
Individualised nursing care plans are tailored to each individual’s specific needs, building upon standard guidelines. These plans prioritise a holistic approach, considering the emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of care. By placing the individual’s needs at the forefront, these plans enhance satisfaction and demonstrate a commitment to valuing their interests. Additionally, individual care plans incorporate the individual’s short and long-term goals, offering healthcare providers a clearer understanding of how the care plan aligns with the individual’s needs and aspirations.
What does a nursing care plan include?
A nursing care plan encompasses all of a person’s care requirements, available resources for support, and the actions planned by their care team to address those needs. Tailored to each individual, the care plan is collaboratively developed and agreed upon by the individual and their family members.
At Prestige Nursing & Care, we prioritise the involvement of family members in the development and periodic review of care plans. We conduct assessments of your loved one’s nursing care plan regularly, typically on a monthly basis or more frequently if necessary.
Why are nursing care plans important?
A nursing care plan holds significance in ensuring the delivery of excellent person-centred care, where the individual’s needs and preferences are prioritised.
At Prestige Nursing & Care, we recognise the importance of honouring each person’s individuality and life experiences. That’s why we invest time in building relationships with each client to gain insights into their desires and requirements. By tailoring their care plan accordingly, we aim not only to promote their safety and wellbeing but also to foster their happiness and fulfilment.
How to write a nursing care plan
- Patient assessment: The process begins with a thorough assessment to understand the individual’s needs, which other healthcare professionals may have previously assessed.
- Diagnose: While not involved in diagnosing conditions, caregivers remain vigilant for any changes in the individual’s condition, signalling the need for reevaluation.
- Prioritise: Identifying and prioritising health issues ensures that the most pressing concerns are addressed first, and categorised as high, medium, or low priority based on urgency.
- Use SMART goals: Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-oriented, facilitating effective tracking and progress monitoring.
- Communicate: Effective communication throughout the process is crucial, utilising appropriate methods for individuals with non-verbal communication or unique communication needs.
- Intervention planning: Care plans include interventions aimed at improving or maintaining physical and mental wellbeing, incorporating input from the healthcare team and the individual in the care planning process.
- Implementation: Once finalised, the care plan becomes a permanent record, subject to regular review to ensure relevance to changing needs.
- Review: Regular reviews are conducted to assess any changes in the individual’s condition, ensuring that goals remain current, achievable, and aligned with their evolving needs.
Expert nurse-led care
For many, a move into a nursing home or specialist care setting can cause much upset, worry and confusion. Having routines imposed on how you live, leaving your loved ones, and feeling isolated from family and friends or your local community are all common concerns experienced by those facing a move into a nursing home.
Our complex home care services are nurse-led and delivered by highly-trained carers. Our team’s focus is to improve your quality of life and ensure you can continue to live life your way.
Call us on 0808 239 1525 and our friendly care experts will discuss your care and support needs. You can also fill out our online enquiry form or email info@prestige-nursing.co.uk. We provide impartial guidance and advice so you make the right choice for you and your family.
