Five key attributes of a district nurse

Time to Read

3 minutes

Date

31 August

What is a district nurse?

A district nurse provides complex care and support to patients and their families in their own homes and residential care homes. They play a vital role in a patient’s healthcare journey whilst keeping hospital admissions and re-admissions to a minimum.

The role of a district nurse

The role of a district nurse is to deliver direct patient care, providing ways to help patients take care of themselves and support families in caring for their relatives. Patients may vary however, they may often be elderly, have physical disabilities, be terminally ill or may have been discharged from hospital recently. As a district nurse, daily visits to patients will be likely and, in some cases, more than once a day.

You can read more about the role of a district nurse here or, if you’re looking to understand the key attributes of a district nurse, our comprehensive guide has you covered.

5 key attributes of a district nurse

Communication

Across all medical disciplines, clear and effective communication is a key attribute, particularly when handling sensitive information and collaborating with other medical professionals and patients. As with all nursing roles, communication skills are one of the most important skills to have. As a district nurse, you will be expected to communicate to patients and their families ensuring you provide clear directions so that the correct treatment protocols are followed. District nurses work with other groups in similar disciplines such as social services, voluntary agencies and other NHS organisations to communicate and co-ordinate a wide range of care services for patients.

Adaptable

The nature of work for a district nurse changes from patient to patient. It requires adaptability and flexibility to be able to respond to these changes on a daily basis. As a district nurse, you will be visiting patients in their own home or in residential homes frequently, sometimes as often as twice a day. Therefore, the need to be flexible around patients and their treatments or activities is vital. Although district nursing is autonomous in nature, patients will also require the support of other professionals who collectively help facilitate a patient’s care along with district nurses. Therefore, the ability to be flexible around other care groups and services is essential.

Leadership and management

Leadership and management are key attributes of a district nurse, as you will be expected to supervise and lead healthcare assistants and a team of community staff in the delivery of care for each patient. Having confidence in your leadership and management skills is vital for a district nurse, as you will be required to assess potentially challenging situations and determine the best course of action based on your observations and judgement.

Organisation

As a district nurse, you will be responsible for a range of patients with varying needs of care in different environments. Being well organised is crucial in ensuring the best level of care is delivered on time and to the highest standard, whilst also being accountable for your own patient caseloads.

Values

All nurses must uphold cultural competency to be able to provide care to patients with diverse values, behaviours and beliefs. This includes adapting the health care approach to meet each patient’s social, cultural, and linguistic needs and district nurses are no different. You must have a strong passion for nursing and an enthusiasm to care for patients and their families.

You can read more about Thornbury company expectations for agency workers or the requirements of a district nurse here.

District nursing roles with Thornbury

If you’re a qualified district nurse and looking for roles across England and Wales, with exclusive benefits and high pay rates, you can register online with us today.