Outstanding models of district nursing: a joint project identifying what makes an outstanding district nursing service

Summary

A report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) calls for urgent investment in District Nursing, as new figures show the number of District Nurses working in the NHS has dropped by almost 43 percent in England alone in the last ten years.

Content

Outstanding models of district nursing explores the elements that need to be in place to support an outstanding District Nursing service. It includes the views and experiences of a wide range of stakeholders including patients, carers, commissioners and GPs.  

It recommends that the Government and NHS:

• Urgently increase investment in the District Nursing service to give it the capacity and capability to meet the challenges of the 21st century
• Maintain the post-qualifying District Nurse Specialist Practice Qualification (DNSPQ), which develops DNs’ professional growth and enhances their clinical skills
• Develop a strategy to expand commissioners’, providers’ and the public’s understanding and knowledge of the District Nurse role, enabling them to recognise the added value they bring to the local health economy and particularly to the wider Health and Social Care system
• Develop a standardised data collection system and data set, collecting meaningful data that recognises value for money, promoting a strong economic case for investment in the District Nursing service
• Develop a standardised approach to the assessment of quality, to measure District Nurse effectiveness in England, providing reliable data, enabling innovation and cost-effective practice to be recognised and disseminated
• Explore the co-location of District Nursing teams within Primary Care Networks to provide personalised care, continuity of care and enhanced working relationships across primary and community care teams.