QNI report promotes specialist district nursing qualification

District nurses who complete a specialist practitioner qualification are best placed to manage complex caseloads and make decisions about patients’ needs, according to a new report. 

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) document promotes the value of the specialist practitioner qualification in district nursing (SPQDN) and its benefits to patient care, professional development and employers.

A QNI survey of the district nursing workforce in 2014 showed that the qualification is ‘paramount to the effective leadership and management of caseloads and the community nursing team’. 

But survey respondents expressed concern that commissioners and employers do not always understand the value of the qualification. 

In response, Queen’s Nurse Candice Pellett wrote the report, published this week, which is based on focus groups with Queen’s Nurses, nursing educators and students; an online survey completed by more than 400 people; a literature search; and data analysis. 

The latest survey found that 62% of respondents felt that if a nurse did not have the qualification, aspects of patient care could be compromised and poor decisions might be made regarding patients’ needs. 

Nearly nine-tenths of respondents (86%) said they developed higher levels of judgement and decision-making skills by completing the qualification. 

The QNI has campaigned for investment in the SPQDN, which can be recorded on the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s register, to reverse the decline in the number of courses being offered and the amount of new district nurses working towards the qualification. 

QNI chief executive Crystal Oldman said the report sends a clear signal about the value of the SPQDN: ‘It is the very best preparation for a nurse working in the community to deliver holistic care, manage complex caseloads, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and promote patient comfort and safety.’ 

Read the report here