The QICN Launches Handbook on Community Nurse Consultants

The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) has launched a new Handbook highlighting the vital role of Community Nurse Consultants (CNCs) in shaping the future of healthcare.

As senior clinical leaders in community nursing, CNCs play a key role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred care.

The government’s NHS transformation plan focuses on three major shifts: moving care from hospitals to communities, embracing digital solutions, and prioritising prevention. The Handbook demonstrates in detail how CNCs are essential in leading these changes, ensuring services are safe, effective, and responsive to community needs.

The Handbook was written by Dr Barbara Stilwell, QICN Fellow and renowned nurse researcher, academic and writer, working with a group of Community Nurse Consultants. Case studies by the CNCs are included in the book to illustrate key themes in the chapters.

Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, the QICN’s Chief Executive, said: “The new Handbook provides an incredibly insightful view of the modern Community Nurse Consultant. career pathways, and its impact on healthcare. Developed by CNCs themselves, it includes case studies that demonstrate how these professionals lead change and enhance person-centred care for individuals, families and carers in communities everywhere.”

The Foreword to the handbook is written by Professor John Unsworth OBE, Chair of the QICN Council.

First introduced in the late 1990s, CNCs combine expert clinical practice, education, research, and leadership. They support people with long-term conditions, lead innovative care models, and improve outcomes for underserved populations. Their influence extends beyond patient care to shaping healthcare systems and policies.

Read the Handbook here. 

ENDS

Notes

The project to create the CNC Handbook has its origins with a group of CNCs who came together following the pandemic. They were then supported by NHS England to bring together their collective knowledge and experience. The Handbook has been created by the QICN working with Dr Barbara Stilwell and further details are given in the Acknowledgements.