Untapped potential: District nursing services and the avoidance of unplanned admission to hospital (24 November 2021)

Summary

This report from the Queen's Nursing Institute’s International Community Nursing Observatory (ICNO) describes the role of district nursing in ensuring continuity of care and preventing unnecessary hospital admissions. It highlights the advanced skills in assessment, diagnosis and patient management of District Nurse Team Leaders - skills that could be used to provide safe and effective care for people at home.

Content

The report argues that the NHS is failing to capitalise on the skills, knowledge and experience of District Nurses and instead is investing in new specialist teams of staff in the community, which may impact negatively on continuity of care. At the same time, the number of District Nurses has fallen dramatically.

It calls on the government of each country in the UK to develop and publish a robust workforce plan for community nursing which reverses the decline in staffing and transforms the workforce to meet current and future healthcare challenges.