Reading Module 3 of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is a stark reminder of the immense pressure nursing staff were under during the pandemic. The report details the physical and emotional impact on staff providing care in unprecedented conditions. Much of the report focuses on the challenges faced within hospital settings, quite rightly so and with good reasons, given that community nursing was not a distinct area of investigation for the inquiry. We await publication of the COVID-19 Inquiry Module 6 report, which will examine the impact of the pandemic on the care sector, including care in the home, which we expect to be published in late 2026 and will reflect on whether community nursing is captured in the evidence and recommendations. 

The Module 3 report reflects how our hospital-based colleagues faced unimaginable challenges; they witnessed rapid patient deterioration and multiple patient deaths often in quick succession on a scale not seen before, constantly changing guidance and intense public scrutiny that came with working at the centre of a national crisis.

But as I read the report, I couldn’t help but think of the essential work of community nursing services that was taking place beyond hospital walls during this period - work that often went unseen. While hospital care happened in full view, community nursing happened behind closed doors, in living rooms, cramped bedrooms and care homes. These staff were a vital lifeline for countless patients, families and communities. Their contribution, though less publicly visible, was no less significant. 

District nursing teams continued to deliver complex clinical care in people’s homes, when so many other services had paused or scaled back. They supported people who were shielding, provided treatments that simply couldn’t be postponed, and often did this alone – there wasn’t the immediate back-up of a colleague just down the corridor to consult or step in. The district nursing teams continued to deliver highly skilled care while continuously balancing professional judgement with compassion, safety and courage. They didn’t just deliver clinical care, they provided human connections to many patients at a time when so many were isolated from friends, families and other support networks.

Community nursing staff had to manage a huge surge in referrals that required them to make rapid decisions, re-organise caseloads overnight, adapt to unfamiliar risks and rethink their ways of working to accommodate infection prevention measures and keep their patients safe.

The Inquiry gives us a chance to reflect on not only what happened but understand what must change for nursing. Although the crisis has passed, the ripple effects on community nursing services is far from over. As Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive has stressed, we cannot allow nursing, irrespective of the area of work, to be failed in this way again. Her message is clear: governments must act on the Inquiry’s recommendations and apply them to address the ongoing pressures in nursing to build a stronger, more resilient health and care system that is prepared for the next national emergency.

Shining a spotlight on community nursing is an important reminder of the contribution and impact the pandemic had on this essential group of the workforce. If we want community nursing to thrive, it is vital that there is investment in this workforce that so often works quietly and tirelessly behind the scenes. As more complex care shifts into the community, funding must follow too. We must continue to recognise the value of community nursing, advocate for meaningful investment, safe staffing and the resources that community nurses need to improve the delivery of care that held so many people together during the COVID -19 pandemic. 

• COVID-19 Inquiry: Nursing will never forget - Nicola Ranger blog
• COVID inquiry: “Never again can nursing be failed like this”