As the NHS is constantly adapting and evolving to meet the growing medical demands of our society, the role of community and district nurses is becoming ever more important to ensure the running and functionality of the entire healthcare system. We need more community nurses because:
- They provide care outside of a hospital setting, opening up resource here
- They look after the vulnerable in the community
- They help alleviate anxiety for patients and their families/friends
What does a community nurse do?
Your job as a community nurse is to provide care to allow patients to stay living in their community and ensure they do not have to go into hospital unnecessarily. These nurses can carry out a huge range of work, often operating alone or in small teams.
The role of providing care directly in the community is crucial because:
- It enables hospitals to free up beds for more critical and demanding cases
- It still allows less critical but still vulnerable patients to be treated in the comfort of their own homes, often alongside loved ones and in a familiar setting
Providing essential care to vulnerable patients outside of a hospital setting is very important, not only to aid and alleviate some of the strain felt by hospitals, but also because doing so can have a direct and positive impact on the life of the patient you are treating.
Care in the community.
No one likes having to go into hospital unnecessarily especially if you could receive the care you need from home. Care provided in a patient’s own home, or in residential accommodation can:
- Alleviate much of the anxiety and worry that already comes with being unwell and needing care
- Give the patient less to worry about regarding their illness/medical needs as they have not had to change location
- Allow the patient the chance to concentrate the majority of their effort on getting better/being comfortable whilst being cared for
Why we need more community nurses.
Whilst being a community nurse does go a long way towards limiting the strain on hospital resources, being a community nurse involves much more than just this. These nurses offer their patients a level of care and emotional understanding that they may not be able to access in a hospital amongst many other patients and staff changes throughout their stay.
If you are considering becoming a community nurse, this role will also give you a unique opportunity to develop your skillset by caring for patients in a variety of different residential settings. You’ll also develop your organisational skills as you will need to liaise with other organisations in joint care efforts for particular cases, for example social services or other care providers.
If you are interested in this rewarding position, you can search our latest jobs, or contact our nursing team directly today. Alternatively, you can browse our hub of career advice and resources for more information.