Complex Needs in Primary Care

Thanks to funding from The Burdett Trust for Nursing, in 2021 the QNI supported ten nurse-led projects to develop innovations and improve care for patients with complex care needs.

The Burdett Trust for Nursing is an independent charitable trust that makes grants to support nurse-led projects focused on supporting the nursing contribution to healthcare. The Trust aims to use its funds to empower nurses and make significant improvements to the patient care environment.

The number of people living with complex, multiple health conditions is increasing. It is estimated that three million people in the UK have three or more long-term conditions, whether physical or mental/psychological/cognitive. People living in more socially deprived areas are at greater risk of developing such conditions.

For more than a decade, health care policy has tried to reduce the demand for emergency hospital care by improving capability and capacity in other parts of the health care system. Working as part of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams, nurses can provide coordinated, person-centred and preventive care that reduces unnecessary hospital admissions and enables patients with complex needs to remain at or return home with reduced reliance on hospital services.

Read the final report here: Community Nursing Innnovation Programme – Complex Needs – Summary of Final Reports and case studies