Community nursing Resources

As the UK population ages and greater numbers of people are living with long-term conditions (Office for National Statistics [ONS], 2014), increasing numbers of people are subsequently at risk of developing pressure ulcers (PUs). PUs are painful, costly and can negatively affect patient quality of life. They are particularly prevalent in the community setting, leading to high-costs in treatments, especially in those suffering from a chronic condition (Jaul et al, 2018). The prevention of PUs is therefore a key global care quality indicator, which is the focus of considerable quality improvements in primary care. Identifying a patient at risk of developing PUs is an action that should be undertaken at the first community visit. Nursing care to prevent PUs needs to be systematically planned, implemented and evaluated, following assessment of the patient and their
circumstances. As demonstrated by Clarkson et al (2019), integrating an interprofessional approach can reduce the severity of PUs in the community. There are a wide range of resources required to help prevent PUs, including nursing time, ensuring effective patient repositioning and risk assessment, as well as delivering the most appropriate pressure-relieving surfaces (Dealey et al, 2012).

In November last year, the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) joined the International Council of Nurses (ICN). The ICN is a federation of more than 130 national nurses’ associations representing more than 27 million nurses worldwide. Based in Geneva, it has a powerful role as an advocate of the nursing profession on the world stage and works closely with the World Health Organization and other international bodies. Since the QNI announcement, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has also joined the ICN after a gap of several years.

The National Community Nursing Plan 2021–2026 is coming. If you have not heard about this exciting opportunity to use your voice as a highly skilled nurse working in the community, you should get involved.

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has recently launched a new project to support recruitment of internationally trained registered nurses to community service providers in England, in line with the the overall national strategy to fill nursing vacancies and secure a sustainable workforce (www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/We-Are-The-NHS-Action-For-All-Of- Us-FINAL-March-21.pdf).
This work is supported by NHS England and Improvement and dovetails with the work they are undertaking to support six pilot sites around the country with their international recruitment to the community efforts (www.england.nhs.uk/nursingmidwifery/international-recruitment/). The QNI project is not limited to the pilot sites and may be of relevance to any organisation that employs registered nurses in the community. 
While the QNI does not employ nurses in a clinical capacity and is not in a position to support individual nurses who are applying from overseas, we hope that the information and learning from this project will make the process of coming to work in England smoother for employers, managers and overseas applicants alike.

In each issue we investigate a hot topic affecting you and your community practice. Here, Geraldine Walters CBE (left), executive director of professional practice, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Heather Bain ( right), academic strategic lead, academic programmes for Robert Gordon University and district nurse educator look at what the NMC post-registration qualifications consultation means for community nursing.

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) is one of a number of charities that will receive additional support from the Covid-19 Healthcare Support Appeal (CHSA) this year. The funding allocated to the QNI will be used to support community nurses in financial need over the next 12 months. The new money from CHSA is specifically for nurses whose financial circumstances have been impacted by the pandemic and is one of several initiatives it is supporting across the voluntary sector.

Cancer survival rates are increasing, resulting in more people living with treatment or disease-related side-effects. Cancer is now considered to be a long-term condition and patients can present with a wide range of physical, psychological and social needs. Community nurses often see people living with or after cancer, but are not always recognised as part of the cancer workforce. This article outlines a pilot of a ‘cancer in the community’ four-day teaching module for community nurses in South West London. The conclusion and recommendations make the case for community nurses to receive education on cancer as a long-term condition and highlight key learning points from the pilot.

There are currently 15 million people in England who have a longterm condition, which is defined as one which currently has no cure other than drugs and symptomatic management (Bennett et al, 2012). At present, the UK population is affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and those with a long-term condition have been advised to selfisolate to prevent being infected by the virus (Department of Health [DH], 2020). This paper explores some of the effects of stress and anxiety with reference to Covid-19, as well as how the pandemic has affected the community nurse’s role.

When things go wrong, we need to make sure that lessons are learnt and improvements made. If we think something might go wrong, it’s important that we all feel able to speak up so that potential harm is prevented. Even when things are good, but could be even better, we should feel able to say something and should expect that our suggestion is listened to and used as an opportunity for improvement.