Community Nursing in Focus: How North Cumbria Supports Patients Beyond the Hospital

Welcome to The Connection: Where Tech Meets Humanity in Healthcare podcast, brought to you by RLDatix. In this live episode from the Connected Health and Care Summit 2025, Liz Jones and Darren Kilroy are joined by Salli Pilcher from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust. Salli shares her inspiring journey from struggling with long COVID to discovering cold water swimming, whilst discussing how technology is helping make invisible community nursing care visible, why the ten year plan empowers community services, and how integrated care teams are preventing unnecessary hospital admissions across rural Cumbria. 👉 At RLDatix, we understand that health and care is a complex landscape where technology must work hand-in-hand with human expertise. In our podcast, we explore how our commitment to safety and operational efficiency can improve the daily experiences of health and care professionals while keeping patient safety at the core of everything we do. 🎉 To find out more, visit rldatix.com 🏥

Welcome to The Connection: Where Tech Meets Humanity in Healthcare podcast, brought to you by RLDatix. In this compelling live episode from the Connected Health and Care Summit 2025, Liz Jones and Darren Kilroy are joined by Salli Pilcher, a Queen's Nurse and senior leader at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust.

Salli's remarkable story encompasses both personal resilience, overcoming long COVID through cold water swimming—and professional innovation, as she leads community services across one of England's most geographically challenging regions.

What You'll Learn:

How cold water swimming helped overcome long COVID symptoms and created a community wellness movement
The health benefits of cold water immersion and its anti-inflammatory properties
What integrated care really means in practice across rural, remote and coastal communities
How North Cumbria's structure bridges acute hospital services with community care
Why community nursing care has historically been undervalued and how technology is changing that
The role of eCommunity in making invisible care visible and measuring unmet need
How digital tools like Teams have improved connectivity across remote geographical areas
What "corridor care at home" means and how it compares to hospital corridor care
The importance of the multi-agency telephone coordination hub (MATCH hub) in preventing admissions
Why the NHS ten year plan feels empowering for community services
How governance works across a large geographical integrated care organisation
The career opportunities and profound rewards of community nursing

Salli Pilcher is a Queen's Nurse working in senior leadership at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust, where she oversees a vast portfolio including eight integrated care communities, six community hospitals, and numerous specialist services.

Her area extends from Alston to the Solway Firth and down to South Copeland, serving diverse populations in rural, remote and coastal communities. She's also on the Queen's Nursing Institute long COVID network and has built a thriving cold water swimming community of over 50 people.

👉 At RLDatix, we understand that health and care is a complex landscape where technology must work hand-in-hand with human expertise. In our podcast, we explore how our commitment to safety and operational efficiency can improve the daily experiences of health and care professionals while keeping patient safety at the core of everything we do. 🎉

To find out more, visit rldatix.com 🏥

Episode Resources

Salli Pilcher on LinkedIn
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust Website
Queen's Nursing Institute Website
Liz Jones on Linkedin
Darren Kilroy on LinkedIn
RLDatix Website