References
Raising the profile of community and older person nursing: a university-based initiative
Abstract
Community nurses form a pivotal part of both the NHS and Private, Voluntary and Independent workforces in the UK. There is a projected increase in demand for care in the community as a result of an ageing and growing population with complex health needs. However, very few nurses currently choose community or older person nursing as a first choice when looking for jobs after receiving their university qualification. This article discusses an initiative titled the Community and Older Person Nursing Network, which aims to raise the profile of community and older person nursing among undergraduate nursing students.
For more than 30 years, one of the most significant and long-running letdowns of policy and implementation in the NHS and social care has been the failure to grow and invest in primary and community health and care services (The King's Fund, 2024). Several reasons are given for the lack of focus on health and care in the community, including the fact that such services are hard to quantify and easy to overlook, and that there are hierarchies of care, with urgent problems taking priority over longer-term issues.
A tacit hierarchy can also be identified in schools of nursing, where students continue to attribute a different value to the learning opportunities available in the community (Dalsmo et al, 2023). There is also a perception that the community environment will not meet a student's educational requirements to qualify as a registered nurse (Bedin et al, 2013) and that there is little or no potential to develop specific nursing skills (Garbrah et al, 2017; Cooke et al, 2021; Skills for Care, 2021).
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