Community nursing provides invaluable care to people in their own homes, care homes, or close to where they live, in clinics and GP practices across every village, town and city in the country. They also provide outreach services to those who may not have a secure home.

Community nurses are an integral part of the NHS workforce and the success of the NHS Long Term Plan depends on strong community nursing delivering care throughout England, particularly as the country recovers from COVID-19.

The national Community nursing plan 2021-2026 will set out how, together, we can ensure the success of community nursing.

Our shared purpose

Building and supporting the community nursing workforce, so that everyone in England has the high-quality care they need, in the place they choose.

There are more than 86,000 nurses in the community, including:

• district nurses
• family partnership nurses
• general practice nurses
• mental health nurses
• community matrons
• public health nurses
• occupational health nurses
• health visitors
• school nurses
• executive nurses
• nurse educators
• hospice nurses
• palliative care nurses
• frailty nurses
• neurology nurses
• children’s nurses
• learning disability nurses
• ambulance nurses
• hospital avoidance nurses
• blood and transport nurses
• respiratory and heart failure nurses
• continuing healthcare nurses
• sexual health nurses
• tissue viability nurses
• prison outreach nurses
• homeless health nurses

Community nursing networks

Join one of the community nursing networks helping deliver this plan:

• Practitioners network – email communitynursing@nhs.net for more information
• Community nursing digital network – register for a FutureNHS account to join the network
• Community nursing ambassadors network – register for a FutureNHS account to join the network

Find out about the enormous contribution community nursing makes.

Share your views on potential themes for the Community nursing plan.