For over 150 years, district nurses have been supporting people in their own homes, keeping them out of hospital. Official figures are showing, however, that the number of district nurses has fallen by 40% in the past 10 years. The Health and Social Care Information Centre has reported that where a decade ago there were around 13000 district nurses working for the NHS in England, there are now fewer than 7500, many of whom are close to retirement age. At the same time, the pressure on hospital accident and emergency departments is increasing, with attendances rising by approximately 50% in the past 10 years. Nursing leaders are describing NHS community nursing in England as “lamentable”.
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