Northumbria University has an established reputation for excellence and innovation in nursing education to build on the future nurse standards in meeting the Community Nursing Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ) - The Nursing and Midwifery Council (nmc.org.uk).
The Community Specialist
Practice Qualification (SPQ) programme is designed to equip postgraduates with
the skills required for community specialist practice and there are four
pathways to choose from: District Nursing, General Practice Nursing, Adult
Social Care Nursing and Community Children’s Nursing.
The health of most people in society today has been
transformed, and most people are living in better health for far longer.
Complex conditions that would formerly have been severely debilitating or fatal
are now managed largely in the home and community settings as chronic
conditions, enabling people to live independently and comfortably (QNI, 2022).
We want to welcome you to this specialist practice qualification which will
support you to develop your knowledge, skills, and competence to work with adults
in social care settings, providing care, leading services and promoting
positive changes in practice. We will strive to equip you with the skills to be
highly autonomous, whilst working within teams and complex service provision
environments. We will support you to be confident in working in partnership
with multiple care providers and crossing NHS and social care boundaries. By
achieving this, you will support those you care for to live well for longer and
be active and engaged in their community.
Each pathway has a
distinct approach to its delivery; however, all share a more practice focused
delivery, with a 60/40 split between clinical practice and protected learning
time at Northumbria University respectively. This ensures that the specialist field
of practice focuses on the specialist skills required for the pathway and is
evident in the optional modules and as pathway-focused learning and teaching
across all modules.
Students also benefit
from integrated learning with fellow community specialist practitioner
students. This programme has been innovatively designed and coproduced with a
vast range of stakeholders from all pathway routes in both health and social
care, to truly reflect contemporary specialist practice, need and service
provision requirements.
Why study Community Specialist Practitioner at Northumbria?
Top School: General Nursing at Northumbria is ranked 2nd in the UK by Guardian University Guide 2026.
Research Powerhouse: Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy at Northumbria is ranked 8th in the UK for research power (REF 2021).
What can I expect from this Specialist Nursing Masters?
Registered nurses already hold recognised knowledge and skills of the profession from the Standards Framework for Nursing and Midwifery Education. This ensures that across all fields, registrants can deliver holistic care needs to people they encounter with a range of mental, physical, cognitive, behavioural, social, or spiritual needs. The Standards of Proficiency for Community Nursing Specialist Practice are designed to recognise new models to meet the diverse needs of people of all ages, in their home, in settings close to home and in the community.
These Standards of Proficiency for Community Nursing Specialist Practice will provide additional knowledge and skills for postgraduate community nurses to record Specialist Practice Qualifications on the NMC register. Equipped with the SPQ qualification, these community nurses will build on these proficiencies as they gain cultural competence, experience, and fulfil their professional responsibility. They will demonstrate their commitment to develop as a specialist community practitioner, building a career pathway, and engaging in ongoing education and professional development opportunities necessary for revalidation.
