RCN Scotland leads the way on future of community nursing

Published: 01 April 2009

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland launched a landmark publication this week on the future of community nursing in Scotland and urged the Scottish Government and other key professionals and patients to work together to develop RCN's vision for a sustainable future for this crucial service.

This call comes at the same time that RCN Scotland launches its vision for the future of community nursing, based on the views of almost 700 nurses, other health care professionals and patients who responded to an RCN Scotland consultation.

With 30% of those working in the community set to retire in the next 10 years, at a time when the demand for community health services is increasing, the key points outlined in this groundbreaking document include:

  • The development of a national framework for community nursing in Scotland, which should include a broad set of job profiles, to ensure a consistent approach across Scotland for community nursing; 
  • Within this framework, services to be designed to meet local health needs;
  • Community nursing to evolve into two fields: one focusing on children, young people and families, from pre-conception through to transfer to adult services; the other focusing on the needs of adults and older adults; and
  • Community health services to be delivered with the needs of users, rather than service providers, at their heart, and to include both physical and mental health services.

Theresa Fyffe, Director of RCN Scotland, said:

"The document outlines RCN Scotland's vision for a sustainable future for all nurses working in the community in Scotland. It builds on the views of our members, other healthcare professionals and patients, our analysis of Scottish Government policies and our experience of the Review of Nursing in the Community (RONC).

Given that we have 10 years before 30% of the profession is due to retire, we realistically have 5-7 years to re-invigorate the community nursing workforce in Scotland.  Now is the time for community nurses across Scotland to find the common ground, and the reserves of energy, needed to reclaim our profession and build sustainably for the future.

"We are not suggesting a 'quick fix' that can be summarised in a simple diagram or implemented overnight.  Developing and delivering a vision for the future of community nursing is a complex task, which needs to be done in partnership, working across disciplines, agencies and boundaries for the benefit of all communities.

"RCN Scotland is leading the way in coming up with a solution-focused approach and I look forward to working with the Government and all other key stakeholders to realise our long-term vision for sustainable services designed to meet local health needs within a broad national framework for community nursing."
 
Evelyn Ryan, a district nurse team leader in Lanarkshire, said:

"I became a district nurse because I wanted to care for people in their own homes.  Being a district nurse means you get to see the bigger picture of a patient's life, so can care for them in a more personal way.

"With the move to caring for more people closer to home, rather than in hospital, it is a very exciting time to be a community nurse. There are major opportunities to deliver more holistic patient care, with nurses working jointly in the community with other health and social work professionals.

"There are also significant challenges.  We know that the role of district nurses and other nurses working in the community is changing and will continue to do so.  We have to embrace what's happening, including changes to our role within the wider multi-disciplinary team, if we are to deliver patient-centred care."

-Ends-

Notes to editors

For further information or to arrange an interview, please call 0131 662 6175 or the out-of-hours press officer on 07962 801005.

Case studies of individual community nurses are available, including Yvonne Bell of NHS Fife (Word 25KB).

The RCN Scotland vision for community nursing, A Sustainable Future: The RCN Vision for Community Nursing in Scotland is the result of an in-depth policy analysis of Government policies and the result of extensive consultation. The  results from the consultation are outlined in a companion document, A Sustainable Future: Voices on a Vision.  Both documents are available on request and can be viewed at: http://www.rcn.org.uk/aboutus/scotland/community_nursing_in_scotland

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the world's largest professional organisation and trade union for nurses. With a membership of over 390,000 members (over 38,000 in Scotland) the RCN is the voice of nursing across the UK. The RCN promotes patient and nursing interests on a wide range of issues by working closely with Governments, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.

RCN Scotland conducted a wide-ranging consultation, including an online survey to which nearly 700 nurses, patients, allied health professionals, doctors, voluntary sector staff and social workers responded, giving their views on community nursing. The survey, and consultation workshops, took place between November 2008 and February 2009.