Transforming nursing, midwifery and health professionals roles: district nursing roles

Annex 3: Core components of education themed around the four pillars of practice

Clinical practice

• Clinical assessment skills, including:
  • history-taking, physical examination, cognitive assessment and an approach that fosters a bio-psychosocial model
  • critical thinking and clinical decision-
    making
  • making objective and appropriate referrals
• Nurse independent/supplementary prescribing (V300)
• Care skills, including:
  • for people with complex needs and multiple long-term conditions
  • for carers
  • specific clinical skills, such as rehydration therapy, intravenous antibiotic therapy, care of central venous catheters, chemotherapy, parenteral and enteral feeding
  • communication
• Palliative and end-of-life care
• Anticipatory care
• Person-centred care approaches, including:
  • supporting self-management, behaviour change, motivational interviewing, compassionate care, personal outcomes, asset-/strength-based approaches and co-production
• Public health
• A range of skills related to e-health and technology to enable care and support self-management
• Mental health and wellbeing

Facilitation of learning

• Support and supervision
• Reflective practice
• Creating a learning environment
• Teaching, learning and assessment
• Clinical supervision
• Coaching
• Mentorship

Leadership

• Lead and manage the district nursing, multidisciplinary and multi-agency team to deliver care in the home and community
• Change management, including building resilience in self and others
• Caseload management, including delegation and referral
• Risk management
• Performance management
• Supervision of care provided by others
• Handling complaints and feedback
• Locality and strategic planning
• Knowledge of local community needs and resources
• Financial management
• Improvement methodology
• Professionalism
• Integrated working
• Communication skills, including motivational interviewing, negotiation, liaison with other agencies and services, use of technology

Evidence, research and development

• Knowledge regarding sources of evidence
• Ability to generate, manage and utilise data
• Ability to critically examine research, including:
  • its application to clinical practice
  • facilitate and participate in research
  • dissemination where appropriate
• Population surveillance and interventions to improve community and individual health and wellbeing
• Measurement of effectiveness of care