Aim: To identify the extent of community nursing care provided to cancer and non-cancer patients across England. Background Community nurses are key providers of palliative care in the community. However, information on the quality and adequacy of support offered to dying patients from community nurses, and whether this differs for cancer and non-cancer patients, is limited.
Methods: The voices postal questionnaire on care in the last months of life was adapted to focus on help received from community nurses, and sent to a random sample of 2500 bereaved carers across England.
Results: 1093 (43.1%) completed the questionnaire; 954 (37.6%) responded but did not complete as it was inappropriate (e.g. a sudden death) or they did not want to participate. 30 (1.2%) had changed address. According to bereaved carers, 58.4% (n=270) of cancer patients and 39.6% (n=248) of non-cancer patients had received care from community nursing services (p<0.001). Amongst those dying aged 70 or over, non-cancer patients were visited less frequently by community nurses (p=0.004), and were less likely to receive enough help with medications and dressings (p=0.011). Noncancer patients were less likely to have always been treated with dignity by nurses (p=0.018).
Conclusion: Cancer patients receive more community nursing support than patients dying from other diseases. Further research will focus on the appropriateness of this.