Manchester IV Team – Citywide
The MCR IV Team is a nurse-led, city-wide service covering patients residing in and registered with GPs in north, central and south Manchester as well as Trafford.
Not only do we administer IV medications to patients within their own homes or other community settings, we also are able to administer subcutaneous fluids for patients with mild to moderate dehydration. Vascular access including insertion of vascular access devices (cannula, midlines and PICC) and care and maintenance of all (including port-a-cath and tesio) is an integral part of our role and some of our staff are trained in the use of ultrasound for difficult venepunctures and cannulations.
Another service offered is patient condition monitoring (observations, blood taking and Advanced Clinical Practitioner review) and all our patients are reviewed remotely by an infection specialist and specialist pharmacist at our weekly MDT.
The main aims of our service are to:
- prevent hospital admission
- reduce in- patient length of stay
- offer treatment options to patients closer to home
- antimicrobial stewardship
- give patients a choice
We are an adult service so treat patients aged 18 and above (16 & 17 years olds on a case-by-case basis) Patients need to be registered with a GP in Manchester or Trafford (temporary registered patients can also be accepted).
We aim to see all patients on the same day of referral or at a maximum of (within) 24 hours. Referrals are excepted from both primary and secondary care. Clinical responsibility is joint between the referrer and the MDT and GP All referrals are considered so please give us a call if you think your patient may benefit from our service.
We offer short-term treatment, as well as well as long-term therapies and we involve our patients with all aspects of planning their care.
An environmental risk assessment of their place of residence needs to occur to ensure that it is suitable for IV therapy. First visits are joint visits to maintain the safety of both the patient and the staff members. Self /carer administration of medication is considered for patients on long-term therapies on a case-by-case basis.
The service runs 7 days a week:
- 8am – 10pm
- 365 days a year
Out of hours, we ask patients to ring their out-of-hours GP service or District Nursing Evening and Night team.
Contact Details
North Manchester
Phone: 0161 720 2788 (Office number) / 07816 142396 (Duty Phone)
E-mail: mcr.ivnorth@mft.nhs.uk
Central Manchester
Phone: 0300 303 9650 (SPA) / 07794 006193 (Duty Phone)
Email: Mft.ivact@nhs.net / IV-ACT.Team@mft.nhs.uk
South Manchester
Phone: 0300 303 9650 (SPA) / 07866 141966 (Duty Phone)
Medication and some equipment will need to be stored in the patient’s home. Advice on how to store this safely will be given. If patients are invited to one of our clinics for their treatment, clear instructions will be given to them as to what time to attend, what to bring and where to go.
Self-referrals are taken but we prefer patients to have contacted their GP first who will ensure onward referral is appropriate.
Primary care referrals are taken over the phone and do not require referral paperwork. Secondary care referrals will be processed through HIVE but currently require referral paperwork.
If you would like to make a referral, please contact the Single Point of Access (SPA) team by phone:
Phone: 0300 303 9650 (SPA)
Who provides this service?
This service is provided by Manchester Local Care Organisation (MLCO). MLCO is the organisation that provides NHS community healthcare and adult social care in the city. It is a partnership organisation between the NHS and Manchester City Council.
Page last reviewed: February 2024
Next review due: February 2025