Community nurses and the ‘new normal’

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives in unprecedented and dramatic ways that few could have imagined. At the time of writing, the number of new cases has been broadly falling, and a much-needed development around the use of dexamethasone for the most seriously ill patients has come to light (BBC, 2020). The worst may or may not be behind us-time will tell.

Looking forward, the community nursing profession will face enduring patient health issues, which, regardless of a ‘second wave’ recurrence, will need managing. Specifically, this will involve aftercare and support for those with long-term symptoms after acute COVID-19 recovery and the managing the repercussions of suspended health and social care for many other conditions.

During the pandemic, primary care and community nursing professionals, although less medianewsworthy, have supported people who do not require hospitalisation for COVID-19, alongside the most vulnerable people in our communities. Community nurses have faced challenges around a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), lack of testing for staff and severe and chronic workforce shortages. There is general agreement that things cannot go back to being as they were. After hospitalisation-which for some, included several weeks in intensive care-COVID-19 patients will have to undertake a long recovery journey. New guidance from NHS England (2020) sets out an extensive and sobering list of the physical, psychological, neuro-psychological and social implications termed as ‘post-intensive care syndrome’. Patients and families affected will require long-term home support from a system that is already stretched.