All the patients we spoke with were positive about the service. Typically, patients referred to “professional” and “informed” staff who were able to provide a service that met their needs. Patients valued the fact that the service could be provided in their own homes therefore avoiding, to a great extent, hospital admissions. Many patients gave examples where staff had been flexible and supportive. One person said staff, “show empathy” and a second that, “staff listen to us and learn from our experiences.”

In addition to the Sickle Cell Home Pain Control Service staff provided antenatal counselling at three hospital sites in North London and day units at the North Middlesex University Hospital. We saw that patients were involved in their care and treatment and that there were detailed records kept of each visit as well as of their health needs. Patients told us that they felt supported by staff and that staff would answer their questions and explain things to them.

Staff provided a seven day a week service between 9am and 5pm. Patients told us it was very rare for the service not to be provided when scheduled. Patients told us that they were very grateful to receive the service but a number of people said they would also like an evening service as pain was often present in the evening and at night.

Staff were provided with a range of regular training and had received annual appraisals. Staff told us that they felt supported in their work. There were a variety of systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service including regular meetings that patients could attend as well as an annual report which included reports of patient feedback.

We spoke to a number of people who used the outreach home care nursing service, over the telephone. All had been using the service for a number of years. Everyone we spoke to was very positive about the service and praised the community nurses from the George Marsh Centre who came to see them. They described having good relationships with nurses and felt listened to by them. Nursing staff were described as ‘very knowledgeable’ and ‘very caring’. One person said, ‘they really do help me out’. Everyone we spoke to said that if outreach home care service could be extended and offered in the evenings it would significantly improve their quality of life.