September 2020 will mark the 5th anniversary of the publication of the QNI/QNIS Voluntary Standards for District Nurse Education and Practice. These were created by a diverse, distinguished group of policymakers, practitioners, educators and academics to supplement, not replace, the work of the NMC.

The time is now right to follow-up by finding out the extent to which these voluntary standards have been known and used across Scotland over the past five years. We are also keen to understand the ways in which they have had an influence on, and made a difference in, the education and practice of District Nurses and their teams.

Your opinion and advice truly matter and we would be grateful if you would complete this relatively short survey candidly and completely before the end of February.

The survey results will offer important guidance in terms of the other voluntary standards QNI/QNIS issued more recently – on General Practice Nursing and Community Children’s Nursing – as well as the Learning Disability Nursing standards currently being developed. They will also provide a valuable ‘reality check’ as QNIS continues its discussions with both QNI and the NMC about whether to keep generating voluntary standards in other specialty areas of community nursing.

All your answers will be anonymous and our analysis will not identify any individual.

Please contact rob.mackie@qnis.org.uk if you have any questions or concerns.

Anyone feeling very motivated is welcome to submit a draft blog to Rob for possible posting on the QNIS website. 

This survey includes an invitation to a focus group in Edinburgh either in person or via Zoom videoconferencing on 17 March. If you are interested, but unavailable, then please contact Rob by e-mail - or on 0131 229 2333 – and we will arrange an individual conversation.

Thank you in advance for your participation in this survey,