RCN Foundation gives major boost to Care Home Nurses Network

The RCN Foundation has announced a major funding boost to the Care Home Nurses Network launched last year by the Queen’s Nursing Institute and the Chief Nursing Officer (England).

The three-year funding by the Foundation will enable the QNI to extend the reach of the new network to nurses in Wales and Northern Ireland as well as England.

As part of the objective to share knowledge in this sector, the QNI will deliver a number of workshops for care home nurses during 2020. The events will cover topics such as caring for residents with complex wounds, caring for residents at the end of life and how to recognise signs of a deteriorating resident. The sessions will be delivered by experts in their field and emphasise person-centred care.

Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, the QNI’s Chief Executive commented:

‘The support of the RCN Foundation demonstrates the growing recognition of the importance of this area of nursing practice. It is not always appreciated how many people live in care homes, but the latest estimate is over 410,000 people in the UK. Nurses working in these settings work with a range other professionals and family members to manage acute episodes of care as well as supporting residents with complex, multiple long-term conditions and of course, end of life care.

‘When the QNI created our resource to support nurses moving the Care Home sector we learned how isolated they can feel in their roles and how much they would benefit from being part of a national network of nurses working in the same setting. They also become part of the wider family of nurses working in the community through the support and professional development opportunities offered at the QNI.’

Deepa Korea, RCN Foundation Director commented:

‘The RCN Foundation is delighted to be supporting this important initiative from the QNI. With a growing population of older people living in care homes, it is vital that nurses feel supported so that they can provide the very best possible care. That’s why supporting and strengthening nursing within the care home sector has been a key priority for the Foundation’s grant-making over the past five years, one in which we have already invested over half a million pounds. By funding the Care Home Nurses Network as the final project within our care homes programme, we firmly believe that this will be an appropriate legacy for the work we have undertaken.’

ENDS

Notes

For more information about the network, visit: https://qni.org.uk/nursing-in-the-community/care-home-nurses-network/

For more information about the RCN Foundation visit: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/

The new network is being managed by experienced District Nurse and educator, Dr Agnes Fanning QN.

The QNI published a new resource, Transition to Care Home Nursing, for nurses new to this sector in 2018 and has been increasingly involved in care home sector nursing. During the development of Transition to Care Home Nursing, in discussion with nurses in the sector, it became clear that a national network for their area of practice would be a significant benefit.