Publish date: 27 May 2026
A Day in the Life of a Children’s Community Nurse
Based at Wansbeck General Hospital working within the Children’s Community Nursing team including our team admin Elaine, Child Health Carers and Health Care Assistants.
When people think of nursing, they often think of busy hospital wards and emergency departments. But beyond the hospital walls, another vital role continues to support children, young people and their families out in the community: the Children’s Community Nurse (CCN).
The Children’s Community Nursing team provides expert care to babies, children, young people and their families in their own homes, community settings and schools. We engage in effective multidisciplinary communication to provide practical support to families we care for.
Our work blends clinical skills with compassion, advocacy and education. We care for children with various complex medical needs. These children and young people may have genetic conditions, long term enteral devices, tracheostomies, non-invasive ventilation at home, as well as regular injections for conditions like JIA and acute wound management. We also care for children with vascular access lines going through chemotherapy treatment and liaise with the children’s oncology team. CCNs also support families and provide palliative and end of life care, usually working alongside the multidisciplinary team such as community paediatricians, OT, Physio, SALT, PORTAGE, Health Visiting, Special school nurses and the CHIPS team.
I feel incredibly grateful to work as a children’s community nurse, supporting families in their own homes and caring for their children during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Being welcomed into a patient’s home is a privilege I never take for granted. It allows me to build genuine relationships with both the children and their families, providing not only clinical care but also reassurance, compassion, and support where it matters most. Seeing the resilience of the children I care for, and the strength of their families is deeply inspiring, and it reminds me every day why I chose this profession. It is an honour to play a small part in helping children feel safe, comfortable, and cared for in the place they know best—their home.
What is special about being a CCN is that each day is completely unique. Our service runs between 8am – 6pm. One member of the team will be on duty from 8-9am before the rest of the team comes in for a morning handover. Here, the team will discuss all visits for the day and updates from the days beforehand. Depending on team capacity and visits, we will try to spend a couple of minutes prior to handover completing a morning mindfulness exercise. Once the team have completed handover, each member of staff will arrange their calls, visits, meetings etc. and get started.
An example of the day in the life of a CCN:
0900 - Handover
1000 – Saturation check for an ex-premature baby in 0.1l/min. This visit will include recording observations, reviewing the baby, providing support to the child’s parents and discussing potential weaning process.
1030 – Wound review for a young person who has recently had scoliosis repair. This will usually include removal of post-surgical dressings and review site beneath. To safety net the young person and parents and provide instruction on how to care for the wound over the next week.
1130 – Gastrostomy training at a Primary school. This may be to provide initial training or to complete an observation of a staff member administering a gastrostomy feed.
1215 – Back to the office to write up documentation and to complete calls.
Some calls may be:
Update for a patient following an appointment with the specialist team at hospital
Call to discuss over granulation to gastrostomy site and advise further treatment
Supportive call
1430 – Visit to remeasure and change gastrostomy device. This will include the procedure but also supporting parents, perhaps showing parents how to change the device and reassuring family and the child throughout.
1530 – Supportive visit for a child with a life limiting condition. We often complete regular supportive visits for children on the caseload. During these visits, parents can express what has been working well and what has not been working so well. CCNs can then unpick these issues for parents, signpost or communicate with relevant professionals to make things easier for the family.
The CCNs day can be very fluid and can change quickly as we respond to the incoming phone calls. One member of staff will also work between 5-6pm and will hold the ‘on-call’ phone. Patients can call this phone between 8-6pm so we may often be called out to repass a nasogastric tube or to review a patient as well as provide telephone advise. The team will have a Band 6 coordinator, this changes every month, and this member of staff will allocate visits, manage phone calls, emails, incoming referrals and ensure each team member is safe through the day.
Delivering care at home helps children remain in a familiar, comforting environment while still receiving the high-quality clinical support they need. Children’s Community Nurses not only supports a child’s health and wellbeing, but also empower families with the knowledge, reassurance, and continuity of care that can make a significant difference in their daily lives. Ensuring these services remain strong and accessible is essential so that every child can receive compassionate, skilled care where they feel safest and I am proud to work with such an incredible team who provide this.