New QNI report on team leaders published

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has released a new report revealing the views of District Nurse Team Leaders.

The report was launched by the QNI’s chief executive, Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, at the National District Nursing Network (NDNN) meeting held in London today.

Over 1,500 District Nurse team leaders from all countries of the UK contributed to the report, through an online survey undertaken in 2023.

The survey makes extensive comparison with data gathered in 2019, illustrating trends in the workforce since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report focuses on the demographic profile of the workforce, working practices and technology, education and professional development, and capacity in nursing teams.

The analysis of the survey was overseen by Professor Alison Leary MBE, Director of the QNI’s International Community Nursing Observatory (ICNO).

The report shows that District Nurse team leaders are carrying more responsibility than ever before, and this is increasingly reflected in the role being paid at Band 7 on the Agenda for change scale.

It also reveals that team leaders are responding to the increased complexity of their work by developing their knowledge, skills and qualifications when they have the opportunity.

Team leaders are becoming more experienced and developing more advanced nursing skills in response to the greater level of complexity in the people they serve.

More nurses now have the District Nurse Specialist Practitioner Qualification, a prescribing qualification, and an Advanced Clinical Assessment qualification.

However, the report shows that District Nursing services remain critically under-resourced, with multiple indicators that teams are struggling with capacity.

Dr Crystal Oldman commented: “We have a growing and ageing population, and this is having a profound impact on how health and social care must be planned and delivered: District Nurses are increasingly responsible for people living with very complex healthcare needs.

“The next government must work to boost the District Nursing services that deliver essential individual and population health in communities everywhere.”

She added: “It is a testament to the District Nursing profession that many nurses are taking their education to the next level to address increasingly complex needs in the people they serve, but frustrating to see the barriers to accessing this.

“Without better access to the DNSPQ, this makes it difficult for nurses to plan their career paths.”

She concluded: “In 2023, the QNI launched its Field Specific Standards for District Nursing and these are now being used to develop courses that reflect an advanced level of practice.

“These courses reflect the real environment of District Nursing practice today, with all its challenges and opportunities.”

To read the report, click here.