Community Nursing is central to the NHS ambition to deliver more care closer to home, but that ambition needs the workforce to match.

The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) is calling for stronger national and regional oversight of community nursing services, highlighting concerns about staffing capacity, unmet need and patient safety. QICN Chief Executive Steph Lawrence has warned that without clearer oversight, gaps in care risk remaining hidden.

As healthcare recruitment specialists, this is something we see first-hand. Workforce shortages don’t just affect rotas, they affect patients, teams and the sustainability of services.

A QICN-commissioned report by the Nuffield Trust found that district nursing numbers in England have fallen by 43% since 2009, despite growing demand for care in the community. Better workforce data, clearer accountability and long-term planning are essential if community nursing services are to thrive.

From a workforce perspective, this lack of oversight makes it increasingly difficult for services to plan effectively and for recruitment partners to support them sustainably. QICN is working with NHS England to develop tools that improve understanding of community nursing capacity at local, regional and national levels, but has been clear that central government also has a role in ensuring this oversight happens consistently.

As a recruitment partner to community and district nursing services, we know that safe, effective care depends on having the right nurses in place, with the time and support to deliver high-quality care. Stronger oversight, better workforce data and long-term investment in community nursing will be critical to making the shift towards community-based care a reality.