Nursing care left undone in community settings: Results from a UK cross‐sectional survey

Aim To demonstrate the prevalence of care left undone and its relationship to registered nurse staffing levels within community nursing.

Background Much research has been completed on nursing care left undone in the acute sector. Little has been done in the community nursing context.

Method Secondary analysis from a cross‐sectional survey of 3,009 registered nurses working in the community and care home sector was completed. Measures reported are ‘care left undone’, ‘nurse staffing levels’ and ‘type of shift’.

Results Only 37% of community respondents, and 81% of care home staff, reported having the planned number of nurses on their last shift. Prevalence of care left undone was 34% in the community sector, 33% in the care home sector and 23% in primary care. Care left undone increased as the proportion of registered nurses fell below planned numbers.

Conclusion Care left undone is a significant issue across the community nursing context and is related to registered nurse staffing levels.

Implications for Nursing Management This work is the first to look directly at the relationship of registered nurse staffing levels to care left undone in the community. Current policy on safe staffing needs to ensure consideration of the community nursing context.