Community dataset for any providers of district nursing services
District nursing has been benchmarked by the Network for over 20 years, most recently as a standalone dataset, providing a focused deep dive into district nursing services, demand, workforce capacity, activity, financial position and staff experience.
This data provides system leaders, commissioners and providers with a robust evidence base to understand shifting demand patterns, workforce sustainability, service delivery models and quality risks within district nursing.
Surveys run in this data collection:
Staff survey
This dataset includes a staff survey, providing a greater understanding of the experince of those working within the service.
Registration Opens
April 2026
Data Collection
May 2026
Validation
August 2026
Outputs Released
October 2026
Findings Events
November 2026
Key Themes:
Access
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Referrals received and accepted
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Source of referrals
Activity
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Caseload size
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Duration on caseload
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Contacts, types and length
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Location on discharge
Workforce
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Skill mix
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Numbers in establishment and in post
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DNSPQ qualifications
"From using the benchmarking tool and measuring ourselves against others, we have now started to collate data on planned and unplanned care delivered by the service. This is allowing us to understand the activity generated and the responsive requirements of the service."
Lesley Harrison, Lead Nurse, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust