Purchasing community nursing services.

Community nursing in the market place is much talked about. In this paper a purchaser of community nursing services outlines shifts in the focus of care locations and the necessary action community nurses need to take to respond to such change. The term 'community nursing' is used in this paper in its widest context to include district nursing, health visiting and the service provided by specialist nurses practising in the community, except where the different services are referred to specifically.