Community nursing requires ‘meaningful investment’, urges RCN lead

A Royal College of Nursing (RCN) head has called for greater investment in community nursing following the ‘vital lifeline’ nurses provided for patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Christine Callender, head of nursing practice at the college, has reflected on the recent publication of Module 3 of the UK Covid-19 inquiry and the ‘less publicly visible’ work of community nurses during the crisis.

Though the latest inquiry report did not focus on community nursing, which is expected to be discussed in Module 6, Ms Callender said it reminded her of the ‘essential work of community nursing services taking place beyond hospital walls’ that ‘often went unseen’.

Writing in a blog for the RCN, she said: ‘While hospital care happened in full view, community nursing happened behind closed doors, in living rooms, cramped bedrooms and care homes.

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‘These staff were a vital lifeline for countless patients, families and communities. Their contribution, though less publicly visible, was no less significant.’

She added: ‘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.’

Ms Callender, who is also a registered nurse, midwife and health visitor, said the Covid-19 inquiry was not only a chance to reflect, but a way to ‘understand what must change for nursing’, including ‘meaningful investment’.

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‘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,’ she said.

‘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.’

Module 3 of the Covid-19 Inquiry found nurses and colleagues lacked access to ‘primary care-specific’ support during the pandemic crisis despite experiencing increased workloads and pressures.

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The report also highlighted how the redeployment of staff during the crisis left nurses feeling ‘disempowered’ and with ‘little support’ to work in unfamiliar roles and surroundings.

Further modules focusing on vaccinations and community care are expected to be discussed later in the year.