Researchers analysed more than a decade of NHS Benchmarking Network data alongside detailed activity data from 27 community nursing teams in Birmingham.
National data showed that while all referrals to community nursing services increased by around 50% between 2015 and 2024, the average time patients remained on caseloads fell from 157 to 51 days, suggesting a shift towards shorter episodes of care.
Detailed activity data demonstrated that community and district nursing teams spend about one in ten of all care hours on palliative and end-of-life care.
This care more frequently takes place outside normal working hours, with increasing levels of out-of-hours crisis management.
The findings highlight growing workforce pressures and the need for improved workforce planning, stronger out-of-hours provision and better routine data collection to support high-quality palliative and end-of-life care at home.
Read the full paper in the Journal of Clinical Nursing: Community and district nursing contributions to palliative and end-of-life care
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