Summary
A recent King’s Fund report identifies a fall in community nursing staff, which places district nursing services in England under increasing pressure. Unmanageable workloads may be causing delays and fewer home visits, perhaps leaving patients at risk.
According to official figures, the number of district nurses has fallen 28% over the past five years to less than 6,000. The wider community nurse workforce has declined by 8% to 36,600 (although some services have been contracted-out to the private and voluntary sectors, and so may not be included in these numbers).
Reference
Triggle, N. (2016). District nurse cuts ‘put frail at risk’, report suggests. London: BBC Health News, September 1st 2016.
This relates to:
Reference
Maybin, J. Charles, A. [and] Honeyman, M. (2016). Understanding quality in district nursing services: learning from patients, carers and staff. London: King’s Fund, August 2016.
There is also a related slide-set, presenting a framework for characteristics of good-quality care for older people receiving care from district nursing services in their own home.
Reference
Charles, A. Maybin, J. [and] Honeyman, M. (2016). A quality framework for district nursing: nine characteristics of good-quality care in district nursing, taken from interviews with patients, carers and staff. London: King’s Fund, August 2016.
A quick case study, about Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust:
Reference
Hughes, D. (2017). District nurse numbers under pressure. London: BBC Health News, November 20th 2017.
