District nurse jobs

District Nurse jobs: frequently asked questions

(Updated Dec 2024)

Welcome to our District Nurse jobs page, featuring all the latest district nursing jobs throughout the UK, as well as frequently asked questions below.

What is a District Nurse?

District Nurses work within communities, typically providing care within people’s homes or in residential care homes. District Nurses are also often referred to as Community Nurses.

Patients can be any age, but are typically elderly.

The care you provide is quite complex, and the role also often involves assessing the quality of care that a patient is receiving.

It’s in an increasingly vital role, and one of the most important goals as a District Nurse is to help keep hospital admissions and re-admissions to a minimum.

What are the daily duties of a District Nurse?

District Nurses’ duties vary considerably from one role to another. However, daily responsibilities may include:

• Basic care - like checking temperature, blood pressure and breathing

• Administering medication and injections

• Cleaning and dressing wounds

• Setting up intravenous drips and monitoring ongoing care

• Managing long-term care plans

• Working closely with community professionals such as occupational therapists

• Educating and supporting families on patients’ situation and needs

District Nurses do sometimes have to provide emergency care too, so have to be fully prepared for any eventuality.

What qualifications do you need to be a District Nurse?

To become a District Nurse you will first need to complete a nursing degree. You can complete a degree in any of these four core areas: adult, child, mental health and learning disabilities. Courses typically last three years and are available at universities all over the country.

You typically then need to work as a General Nurse for at least two years before applying for a postgraduate course known as a specialist practitioner programme. These normally last no more than one year and your employer may well fund your studies.

However, with District Nurses in such high demand as more and more services move into the community, it’s becoming increasing likely for employers to consider newly qualified Nurses who are willing to immediately conduct specialist training.

How much do District Nurses get paid?

District Nurses typically earn a Band 6 salary, which currently starts at £37,339. With experience, your salary will rise through this banding and beyond – meaning a salary beyond £45,000 a year is relatively common.

Beyond this, your career could go in many directions. As a Senior District Nurse or Community Matron you could manage teams, and command a much higher salary. Some District Nurses even reach consultant level which offers a higher salary still.

To work out exactly what you might earn, use our NHS pay calculator.

The majority of District Nurses work in the NHS, but some also work for private companies. In the private sector pay is unregulated, but salaries are roughly in-line with the NHS.

Find your next District Nurse job today

View our latest roles above, or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, create an account and register your CV here and we’ll send you the latest roles as soon as they arise.