Three years on: how NDUs are meeting the challenge.

This paper, the first of two, describes the major challenges faced by 28 nursing development units (NDUs) during three years of Department of Health funding. The findings suggest that structural and process issues in the NDUs and their host organisations were the main challenges in the early period of their existence. Given this, the importance of wider organisational commitment and support is vital if an NDU is to survive and flourish.