If you need a visit from a district nurse for injections, dressing changes etc, you can look in yellow pages and pick somebody nearby – although it’s always best to get a recommendation where possible.

You are under no obligation to contact the same nurse each time.

Most nurses carry a machine to validate your carte vitale. At the end of the visit, or the course of visits, if you don’t have a carte vitale, you will need to pay by cheque or cash and will be presented with a ‘feuille de soins’ in order to claim back the payment if relevant.

Do not expect a smart uniform – your nurse will probably arrive in jeans or shorts – but it won’t affect the quality of the treatment!

If you need home visits after hospitalisation, or recommended by your doctor, the amount of visits and treatment will be written out for you on a prescription. However, it will still be up to you to make contact with a nurse and arrange your own appointment. This will not just happen automatically.