A day with our Registered Nurses: what nurse-led care looks like
About this story: this is an illustrative day based on the work our nurses regularly do. Client details have been changed to protect privacy.
People often ask what a nurse actually does in someone's home. So we've followed one of our Registered Nurses through a typical weekday across Western Sydney. It's a composite of a normal day, but every task in it is real work our nurses do.
7:30am: Phone, coffee, handover
The day starts with the overnight notes. One support worker has flagged that an NDIS participant in Seven Hills seemed more breathless than usual during her evening routine. That goes to the top of the list. Our nurse calls the worker for detail, then calls the participant's mother to say we'll visit this morning.
8:15am: Seven Hills, a respiratory check
The participant uses BiPAP overnight. Our nurse checks her oxygen saturation, breathing rate, temperature and chest sounds, then checks the mask fit and the machine's settings and logs. Everything's within her normal range, but the mask cushion is worn and leaking, which explains the poor night. We arrange a replacement through her equipment supplier and update her plan so workers check the cushion weekly.
Nurse's note: "Most of this job is detective work. The answer is usually simple, but you only find it if you look properly."
10:00am: Parramatta, wound care for an older client
An 88-year-old Support at Home client with a pressure injury on his heel. Our nurse measures and photographs the wound, cleans it and applies the dressing in his plan. The wound is smaller than last week. We also check his pressure-relieving boot and remind his wife about turning him in bed overnight. She's tired, so we talk about using some of his budget for in-home respite.
11:30am: Training a new support worker
Back to a participant's home for a competency session. A new support worker is learning the participant's suprapubic catheter routine. She watches our nurse first, then does it herself while the nurse observes and asks questions. "Why do we keep the bag below the bladder?" "What would make you call me?" She's close, but not signed off yet. She'll do two more supervised shifts first. We don't rush this.
1:00pm: Lunch in the car and documentation
Nursing notes, wound photos uploaded to the client file, the BiPAP plan updated, a message to the GP about the heel wound's progress. Documentation isn't glamorous, but it's how the next nurse, the GP and the family all know what's happening.
2:00pm: Blacktown, insulin and a new diagnosis
A client recently started on insulin. Our nurse checks her technique with the pen, her injection sites and her glucose diary. Her readings are drifting high after dinner. We don't change doses. That's the prescriber's job. But we send the GP a clear summary and a question, and the GP adjusts the plan the next day.
3:30pm: A family meeting
A son wants to know whether his father, who has early dementia and lives alone, is still safe at home. Our nurse walks through the house with them: medication management, the stove, falls risks, whether he's eating. It's an honest conversation. The plan they agree on is pharmacy-packed medications with daily prompts, a meal service, a weekly nursing check, and a review in a month.
5:00pm: On call
The day ends, but the phone doesn't. Our workers can reach a nurse who knows their clients, and that's the whole point of a nurse-led team.
Why we work this way
Good Nurse is run by Registered Nurses, with critical care experience including ICU. We're nurse-led because people with complex needs deserve support workers who always have someone clinical to call. Every day in this story is about the same thing: noticing small changes early, so they don't become big ones.
If you'd like a nurse to visit and talk through your situation, call 1300 457 557 or contact us.
Talk to a nurse
Free, no-obligation chat with one of our Registered Nurses about NDIS or Support at Home care in Western Sydney.