Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
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.
District Nursing services continue to deliver highly specialised person-centred care within the heart of local communities, offering the continuity and personalisation which is valued so highly by the people we care for, their careers and families (NHS England, 2019). Our aim is for this pathway to equip you with the skills and knowledge to take your community nursing practice to the next level, building on your previous experiences to confront the distinct challenges of providing increasingly complex care closer to home within diverse socioeconomic populations. You will develop advanced clinical assessment skills, supporting you to make evidence-based decisions and deliver exceptional standards of care. As an expert in your field, you’ll also consider your unique approach to leadership and your potential to positively influence those around you. Doing so will leave you well placed to make a lasting impact on the health and lives of the communities you care for.
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 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).
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.
Level of Study
Postgraduate
Mode of Study
2 years Part Time
1 other options available
School
Healthcare and Nursing Sciences
Location
Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Start
September 2026
Fees
Fee Information
Modules
Module Information
Watch Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses and recent honorary degree recipient, Howard Catton, as he visits our healthcare facilities and discovers the benefits of studying Nursing at Northumbria.
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It's important that everyone feels confident about the care they can expect from the nurses and midwives on our register. We've introduced new standards for nurses and midwives in the UK, supporting them to deliver kind, safe and effective care now and in the future. As a result, our nurses and midwives are at the forefront of improving people's health and wellbeing. We've made two short animations to help you understand what you can expect from your nurse or midwife.
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Watch two of our lecturers discuss their own clinical experiences, and explore some of the opportunities available to you once you qualify as a Registered Nurse.
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Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following at point of application:
They are a NMC registered Nurse (level 1).
A previous BSc Degree at 2:2 or above OR Demonstrate the ability to study at level 7 through previous academic achievement, such as accredited module completion.
Please note that RPEL (Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning) can be used by applicants without the required academic accreditation, to demonstrate their suitability to undertake the course, in the form of a portfolio submission as part of the application to the University.
Applicants must additionally evidence:
Applicants undertaking V300 Non-Medical Prescribing, must also demonstrate the following at the point of application:
Full UK Fee: £6,633
Tuition fees in the academic year 2027/28* will be £10,050. Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
*if your course is longer than one year
Full International Fee: £12,332
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
On completion of the programme you will be eligible to record your additional qualification with the NMC. There may be a cost associated with this in addition to your current registration fee.
* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
AC7128 -
Advanced Clinical Assessment Skills for Community Specialist Practice (20 Credits)
This module focuses on advanced clinical skills assessment in community specialist practice and is a core module for those students undertaking the community specialist practice qualification (SPQ) pathways; district nursing, adult social care and general practice nursing. This module is for students studying either the full time or part time programmes. If you are studying full time, the delivery of this module will be in semester one of the programme. If you are studying part time, the delivery of this module will be year-long, starting in semester one, year one. This is to accommodate for the inclusion of the formative programme Practice Assessment Document (PAD), which is your record of ongoing achievement, with formative assessment of practice through year one of your programme.
You will be supported to strengthen and develop your knowledge base in relation to conducting, interpreting, and evaluating complex health and social care needs for adults, working in partnership with their families and carers. You will be drawing upon principles of person and family centred care to inform your specialist practice. You will develop your practice in addressing the physical and psychosocial dimensions within clinical assessment, taking into consideration epidemiology, community demography and social determinants of health and illness. Advanced communication skills will be developed, and you will be supported to apply strategies to deliver person-centred care in complex circumstances.
The module will have a distinct focus on common as well as complex conditions encountered when caring for people accessing services relevant to your specific field of practice.. Each pathway has a bespoke route to learning, focusing on systems and complexities relevant to your pathway. This will be reflected in your summative assessment, based on real-world clinical situations assessed via an OSCE. Teaching will adopt a body systems approach with a range of seminars, practical workshops, tutorials, and Online Supported Learning (OSL) packages. Sessions will focus specifically on health conditions examining the physiology, pathophysiology, and relevant pharmacology, as identified in the co-production of this module with our stakeholders and employing partners. In addition, you will have the opportunity to understand the application of genomics and epigenetics in informing person and family centred care. Frailty, end of life-care and the management of long-term conditions will also form part of your educational journey, allowing for the exploration of contemporary themes that will connect key learning themes structured throughout the programme.
You will develop your autonomous practice and ability to lead, and manage whole episodes of care for adults, understanding when to admit, discharge or refer as appropriate. You will have the opportunity to advance your specialist knowledge, critical thinking, and decision-making skills, undertaking comprehensive clinical assessments, focusing on practice-based scenarios. Similarly, you will be supported to analyse a range of informatics, including clinical investigations, to assist your assessment and diagnosis, distinguishing between normal and abnormal findings across the differing needs of complex and varied populations. You will also demonstrate your ability to accurately document your findings, identifying pertinent clinical and care solutions and effectively communicate these appropriately within the inter-professional team as well as to those involved as part of the care. This will include demonstrating necessary skills to plan care in partnership, maximising opportunities for self-management.
For part-time students, because this module includes your Practice Assessment Document (PAD) which is your ongoing record of achievement. You will be supported in practice by a Practice Assessor (PA) as well as Practice Supervisors (PS) as part of your formative assessment. You will receive semesterly progress review meeting support from an appropriate Academic Assessor (AA) and your PA in your clinical placement setting. These will be held at each semester throughout year one of your programme, where you will gain experience and insight into your professional role, ensuring you are supported with the achievement of the required NMC standards of proficiency.
AC7129 -
Advancing Community Specialist Practice Through Leadership (30 Credits)
This module offers 30-credits at level 7. It is part of a post-qualifying, Postgraduate Diploma, Community Specialist Practitioner Qualification (with pathways) (District Nursing, Community Children’s Nursing, General Practice Nursing or Adult Social Care Nursing). This module is available to full-time and part-time students undertaking the Specialist Practitioner Qualification (SPQ). This module is focused on leadership, specific to your area of clinical practice. It allows you to apply and relate what you learn in the classroom to your academic assessment by giving opportunity to explore an area of contemporary community specialist practice. During the module you will learn how to lead an audit in your area of specialist practice. Drawing on the findings of the audit, you will create a poster for presentation. The poster will outline a service improvement. As you complete the audit you will learn about the application of leadership theory, into practice. You will also gain knowledge about the development of sustainable practice-based interventions and the principles of risk stratification, that would improve health outcomes for your population. As Community Specialist Practitioners are required to demonstrate a proactive, autonomous approach to their practice, presenting the service improvement will enable you to develop knowledge, understanding and skills about directly influencing practice in a positive way within your discipline. Developing skills to recognise the need for action, entrepreneurship and innovation in public health practice, you will learn techniques to lead, influence and challenge stakeholders and services relating to health policies that affect your specialist area of practice.
At the end of the module the focus of your learning, through leadership, will be fundamental to the promotion of specialist practice within your pathway (District Nursing, Community Children’s Nursing, General Practice Nursing or Adult Social Care Nursing). This means opportunity to improve the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities, and populations, allowing you to demonstrate real-life application of your developing leadership skills. Each specific pathway encounters a range of real-world situations requiring leadership expertise, demonstration of sound judgement and skills to manage unpredictable circumstances. Specific to your field of practice in bespoke sessions, you will explore these in significant context in order to develop your knowledge and confidence which will be demonstrated in your pathway specific leadership role. You will also benefit from collaborative working with students from other pathways, allowing for integrated approaches to problem solving and managing complex decision making.
AC7066 -
Non-Medical Prescribing (V300) (Optional,40 Credits)
This module will facilitate your development of the knowledge and skills required for safe and effective prescribing from a legally specified UK formulary. Successful completion of all components of the module will lead to the achievement of a recordable prescribing qualification with your regulatory body (NMC or HCPC). The subject areas you will study include assessing the patient and considering prescribing options, pharmacology for prescribing and de-prescribing, legal and regulatory frameworks, providing information, reaching shared decisions, monitoring and reviewing treatments, prescribing safely, professionally and as part of a team and improving prescribing practice.
More informationAC7130 -
Enhancing Care for Adults Living with Frailty and Multimorbidity across the life course (40 Credits)
This module offers 40-credits at level 7, is suitable for post-qualified nurses wishing to study the Community Specialist Practitioner (relevant for Adult Social Care Nursing, District Nursing and General Practice Nursing pathways). Frailty and multimorbidity is a significant challenge facing community nursing teams and each pathway faces significant challenges and complexity. As well as engaging in shared learning and integrated approaches to patient management, you will focus significantly on the issues facing your specific specialist role, identifying challenges, barriers and priorities for providing high-quality specialist nursing care within your fields of specialist practice.
As part of the Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ), it will provide you with a range of contemporary specialist practice knowledge relevant to your field of practice (or pathway), skills and an evidence base for advancing specialist practice for caring for people living with a major health condition, multimorbidity and frailty. Throughout the module the approach will be supporting a personalised approach to care recognising the complexity and diversity of contemporary society. The impact of health inequalities will be acknowledged as will the importance of needs assessment at an individual, community and population levels.
In line with the Major Condition Strategy (2023) the six major health conditions in addition to frailty will be explored and will take a whole person approach recognising that people often live with multiple health conditions. The module will acknowledge that the six major conditions can affect all age groups, however they are more prevalent within the older population (those over 65) and as such the impact of ageing and living with multimorbidity and frailty will be a key focus. This will lead you to develop enhanced knowledge and skills relating to the care of older adults and those living multimorbidity and frailty.
The module will develop your knowledge and competence in caring for adults (including older adults) across health and life continua: from living well and primary prevention, secondary prevention, early diagnosis, acute illness, through to ongoing long-term care in progressive and advanced disease. You will gain an appreciation and understanding of significant issues at transitional points up to and including end of life care. You will further develop knowledge and understanding that managing the care for older adults, those living with multimorbidity, and frailty is a highly complex and skilled process. You will learn the essential elements that contribute to recognising, responding, and improving the care for older adults across their life span. Through the exploration of theories of ageing and by reflecting on professional values, attitudes, and behaviours you will gain understanding of how these can impact on care for adults.
You will understand the importance of being able to recognise, assess and respond to frailty, gaining an appreciation of the importance of the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and multidisciplinary team approach in the assessment, diagnosing, management and ongoing support for older people and their family, friends, or carers. You will develop your decision-making using evidence based therapeutic practice interventions to ensure that people receive individualised care and support based upon their need. As such models for shared decision making will be explored and will be a key feature to empower and enable people to be involved in all decisions about treatment and care choices with proactive management frameworks to ensure this.
You will develop skills in recognising disease trajectories and managing the complexities of care and achieving best outcomes for individuals living with multimorbidity and frailty across a range of care settings and care sectors. Your learning will be underpinned by contemporary policies and practice drivers, and you will explore how these impact on relevant governance structures and organisational boundaries. Working with key stakeholders in a collaborative way across health and social practice areas is essential to ensuring that a holistic approach to high quality care delivery for this client group incorporates physical social psychological and spiritual dimensions of care.
An integral part of your learning will be listening, understanding, and responding to the needs of the public and people who use health and care service including informal carers. Exploration of robust systems to share information across care sectors will ensure wishes and preferences are met and adhered to.
AC7137 -
Transforming Community Specialist Practice through Research, Policy, Evidence and Evaluation (30 Credits)
The module introduces you to research methods which assist you to transform current and contemporary Community Specialist Practice across all Specialist Pathway Qualification (SPQ) pathways. You will develop the ability to interpret and apply critical knowledge and appreciation of epidemiological research and contemporary health policy as appropriate. You will evaluate specialist practice, using data, analysis and synthesis from evidence related to your area of specialist practice. Each pathway reflects specific complexity and need, which will be explored throughout the module in field-specific sessions dedicated to exploring your specific pathway. This learning will continuously link to your pathway in all delivered sessions. You will learn to determine strategies to critique, evaluate and disseminate evidence and research from local, national, and international sources which contribute to global innovation and improve the health of people, communities, and services. You will learn how to identify gaps in evidence and plan to address health inequalities through innovation that improves health and well-being. You will identify social structural factors from empirical and narrated data, which influence health and promote sustainable development and intervention goals. You will utilise and effectively participate in critique of evidence and research strategy across interdisciplinary and interagency teams to address public health priorities and evaluate interventions. In addition, you will generate new theory by applying evidence and data from research and policy to promote health and prevent ill health across the life course, applying an evidence-based approach to optimise public health outcomes. Finally, you will learn how to disseminate evidence from research and evaluation, sharing outcomes and lessons learnt locally, nationally, and globally in clinical practice through professional networks and peer reviewed processes.
More informationThe following alternative study options are available for this course:
Sep start
Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help. They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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