District and Community Nursing
Last updated:
15/11/2025
Key Resources
Health Innovation Network and NHS England: National Wound Care Strategy Programme
Maybin J, Charles A and Honeyman M (2016) Understanding quality in district nursing services: learning from patients, carers and staff. London. The Kings Fund.
The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing: Field specific standards at an advanced practice level, for specialisms in community nursing.
The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing: Homeless and Inclusion Health Network.
The Queen’s Nursing Institute (2023) The QNI standards for community practice teaching education and practice. London: QNI.
The Queen's Nursing Institute (2020) The QNI standards of education and practice for nurses new to general practice nursing. London: QNI.
The Queen's Nursing Institute and The Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland (2018) The QNI/QNIS voluntary standards for community children’s nurse education and practice. London: QNI/QNIS.
The Queen's Nursing Institute (2021) Standards of education and practice for nurses new to care home nursing. London: QNI.
The Queen's Nursing Institute (2023) Nursing in the digital age: using technology to support patients in the home. London: QNI.
The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing: 'New to' guides
Department of Health Northern Ireland (2018) A district nursing framework 2018-2026. (no place): DH.
Department of Health and Social Care (2025) Fit for the future: 10 year health plan for England (CM 1350).
We would like to thank the RCN District and Community Nursing member community for their input into the development of this subject guide.
Books
Blaber A, Morris H and Gorman J (2020) Independent prescribing for district nurses. Bridgwater: Class Publishing.
Bradby M (ed.) (2022) District nursing at a glance. Chicester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Brook J, McGraw C and Thurtle V (eds.) (2021) Oxford handbook of primary care and community nursing. 3rd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Burrows P, Cowie J, Robotham A and Frost M (2023) Health visiting: specialist community public health nursing. 3rd edn. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Carrier J (2022) Managing long-term conditions and chronic illness in primary care: a guide to good practice. Taylor and Francis.
DeMarco and Healey-Walsh (2020) Community and public health nursing: evidence for practice. International 3rd edn. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.
Gould J and Bain H (2022) Principles and practice of nurse prescribing. London: Learning Matters.
Nicol J and Hollowood L (2023) Nursing adults with long term conditions. 4th edn. London: Learning Matters.
Peate I and Stephens M (2020) Wound care at a glance. 2nd edn. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.
Probst S (2021) Wound care nursing: a person-centred approach. 3rd edn. Edinburgh: Elsevier.
Ross F, Harris R G, Fitzpatrick J, Abley C and Redfern S J (2024) Redfern’s nursing older people. 5th edn. (no place): Elsevier.
Scobie I (2023) Atlas of diabetes mellitus. 4th edn. CRC Press.
Stacey G, Westwood G, and Florence Nightingale Foundation (2023) Leadership development for nurses and midwives. (no place): Elsevier.
Book subject searches
Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.
Journal articles
Use these links for details of journal articles on each topic.
Journals
Journals of interest for district and community nursing. Use these links to see details of availability.
Explore
RCN District and Community Nursing Forum - Driving quality care at home.
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This sketch animation was created by the RCN District Nursing Steering Group to highlight the work that District Nurses do.
Watch video
Nursing History Collection
The Nursing history collection generally consists of modern books about the history of nursing which can be borrowed by RCN members.
Baly M (1987) A history of the Queen’s Nursing Institute, London: Croom Helm.
Cohen S (2018) The district nurse: a pictorial history. Barnsley: Pen and Sword History.
Jordan P (2012) District nurse: my life as a nurse in the 1950s, London: Orion.
Morrison C (2017) Hebridean heroines: twentieth century Queen's Nurses (1940s-1970s), Laxay, Isle of Lewis: Islands Book Trust.
Special collections
Our Permanent Collection consists of nursing specific core items and rare items. Items are viewable by appointment at the RCN Library and Museum.
Baly M, Robottom B and Clark J (1987) District nursing (2nd edition), London: Heinemann.
Handbook for Queen's Nurses (1924), London: The Scientific Press.
Loane M (1905) Outlines of routine in district nursing, London: The Scientific Press.
Stocks M (1960) A hundred years of district nursing, London: Allen and Unwin.
Archives
The RCN Archive contains some of the most important collections dedicated to the history of the nursing profession in the UK, including the organisational records of the Queen Victoria's Institute of District Nursing Scottish branch which subsequently became the Queens Nursing Institute, Scotland (QNIS).
Viewable in Edinburgh by appointment.
The RCN Archive contains over 600 recordings of individuals from across the nursing profession. Search "T/*" in the RefNo search field of the archive catalogue to browse the collection.
QNIS
The Queen's Nursing Institute Heritage website explores the 150 year history of district nursing in the UK.
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Caroline Lynch
Editor of this guide
RCN Library and Museum
Upcoming events relating to this subject guide
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11 Jun 2026
Online
Lunch and learn webinar: Peripheral arterial disease and management of the lower limb
Join us for an engaging and informative 1-hour session, focussing on Peripheral arterial disease and management of the lower limb, aiming to raise awareness of this condition during Legs Matter Awareness Week (8-12 June 2026).
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17 Jun 2026
Sheffield
RCN Long-term Conditions Conference 2026
Tackling health inequalities in long-term conditions: Working together, turning vision into reality
Page last updated - 15/11/2025
