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Section 5
Conclusion
Delivering for Health signals a fundamental shift in the NHS from a service that is focused on providing care in hospitals to one where care is planned, delivered and evaluated close to people's homes. Similarly, this Review of Nursing in the Community outlines a transformational change in the way nursing services in the community will be delivered.
The new service model, within which the seven core elements of practice have been defined, will facilitate nurses to provide proactive, modern and safe services which are rooted in communities and are delivered as close to people's homes as possible.
The model is designed to ensure nurses are fit for purpose and make maximum contributions to meeting the health needs of Scotland's population in the 21st century. Nurses are at the heart of health services in the community, working in partnership with individuals, carers, families, communities and professional services. They are key to the delivery of high-quality, community-based services that meet individual and community needs and improve the health of the nation.
Far-reaching action is needed if Scotland is to meet the health challenges of an ageing population with reducing numbers of people of working age. The new model provides the framework from which action can be progressed. It builds on the caring strengths that individuals, carers, families, communities and nurses have identified and described; it provides the direction nurses have been asking for; and it provides structured and exciting career opportunities that many have felt to be lacking in the past.
The Review's conclusions have implications for, and call for action from, individual nurses, the Scottish Executive, NHS Boards, education providers and a range of community-based partners to provide the infrastructure to support nurses'contributions.
The new service model sets out to deliver visible, accessible, integrated nursing services that meet what people say they want, rather than to comply with traditional professional notions of how a nursing service should operate. It will take courage and strong leadership to take the model forward, but now is the time to begin.
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