Alison While
Buchanan et al (2020) noted that 17% of the global nursing workforce is over 55 years of age and are likely to retire within the next 10 years. The demography of the UK community nursing workforce is significantly more aged than the global nursing workforce, with 60% aged over 45 years, and 17% of those aged 50 years and older reported that they planned to retire in the next 1–4 years during an online survey (n=2858) conducted between 1 June and 18 July, 2019 (Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI), 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched and stressed the workforce through increased workload pressure arising from growing caseload numbers, increased patient acuity and reduced workforce numbers (Green, 2021). Green had (2021) made the case for more investment in district nursing services to remedy these issues.
The nation has been tired by the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic (Daly et al, 2020). COVID-19 has exacerbated the need to restore the ‘joie de vie’ of district nurses and the district nursing workforce. This will require those in district nursing teams to feel valued, both as individuals and as highly skilled professionals whose contributions are crucial for keeping people in their homes and avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions. Indeed, the QNI and others (2021) have argued that district nursing requires specific standards of proficiency within the Specialist Practice Qualifications if the nursing needs of those living at home are to be protected.
The retention of older district nurses within the workforce will be critical for retaining wisdom and expertise as well as for educating new and replacement registered nurses entering community nursing teams. Importantly, loss of any skilled community nurses will further exacerbate the workforce shortfall. Buchanan et al (2020) suggested a 10-point plan to support older nurses in the global workforce, which includes: understanding older nurses' needs through surveys, focus groups etc.; avoidance of age bias both at recruitment and during employment; provision of flexible working; equal access to learning and career opportunities; job redesign to promote older nurses' wellbeing; job enrichment; support for older nurses across all roles, including those in advanced and specialist practice; enablement of knowledge transfer and leadership development through succession planning; and provision of retirement planning so that different options for working may be explored.
At the individual level, community nurses should be encouraged to look after themselves and engage in self-kindness (Andrews et al, 2020), so that they have a well balanced working life with adequate exercise and sleep sustained by a healthy diet and supportive relationships, both within their workplace and at home. Nurse managers should provide an open door so that their team members can raise concerns about aspects of their work or workloads, and seek help and support as necessary. Community nurses may wish to seek support by accessing the Nursing Minds: Mental health toolkit for nurses (https://tinyurl.com/3puxhhbb) or TalkToUs, the QNI's listening service (https://tinyurl.com/3fttz268).
Older community nurses are an equally important part of the nursing workforce as younger community nurses; every community nurse matters. The NHS and the housebound clients whom they look after appreciate the care that community nurses deliver, and all community nurses should feel proud of their respective contributions.
‘The retention of older district nurses within the workforce will be critical for retaining wisdom and expertise as well as for educating new and replacement registered nurses entering community nursing teams.’