RCN members working in district nursing, school nursing, health visiting and primary care, shared their professional experiences and perspective on the challenges facing community nursing services.
The event provided members with the opportunity to speak directly with Scotland’s Minister for Community Care, Alison Thewliss MSP, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Kathryn Brechin, and key MSPs including the health spokespeople from Scottish Labour, the Scottish Greens and Scottish Conservatives.
Members highlighted the vital role that nurses working in the community play caring for patients with complex health needs in their homes, supporting the health and wellbeing of children and young people, delivering preventative care, supporting long-term conditions and providing palliative care. However, staff shortages and increasing demand mean that nursing staff must focus on responding to acute illness, leaving very limited capacity for the preventative work and early intervention that would improve outcomes and reduce future demand.
Politicians also heard about the need for greater investment in the learning and development of the community nursing workforce. Nurses working in these teams require advanced knowledge and skills to manage increasingly complex care, high-risk situations and independent caseloads in the community. Ensuring that nurses are supported to gain the NMC accredited specialist qualifications is vital for safely moving more care from hospital to home and for providing effective leadership within interdisciplinary teams. Yet data from NHS boards shows that there has been a significant reduction in the number of nurses being supported to complete the specialist qualifications in district nursing, health visiting and school nursing.
A passion for community nursing was evident throughout the discussion, with members emphasising the profession’s unique contribution to delivering expert, person-centred, relationship-based care that supports individuals and families at every stage of life.
The meeting followed the publication of our fifth ‘The Nursing Workforce in Scotland’ report. The report sets out the ‘bigger picture’ around Scotland’s nursing workforce statistics
Commenting on the roundtable, Eileen Mckenna, RCN Scotland Associate Director said: “The nursing profession is in a unique position to help shift the balance of care into the community, prevent ill health and tackle health inequalities.
“But to realise this potential, we need to see greater investment in community nursing, more nurses supported to gain the NMC accredited specialist qualifications, and robust workforce planning which reflects the increasing acuity and complexity in community health and care.
“At this time of significant reform and change across health and care, Scottish government must view nursing as a key part of the solution. Strong nursing leadership throughout the new structures is vital for realising the potential that was clearly highlighted during today’s discussion.
“Strengthening Scotland’s community nursing workforce is one of the best investments the Scottish government could make.”
