The Community Nursing Research Forum is a UK-wide community for nurses from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and England, fostering research engagement, peer support, and mentorship.
Founded in Spring 2022, the Forum was originally known as the Community of Practice for Community Nursing Research. In July 2022, it became hosted by the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QiCN) and now operates under its current name.
In 2025, the Forum has over 1,000 members and is funded by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research).
Visit our new webpage to learn more.
Why Join the Forum?
Research led by community nurses is essential for generating high-quality evidence to enhance patient-centred care.
In an editorial published in the British Journal of Community Nursing, our co-founders emphasised that research opportunities, peer support and mentorship will help community nurses get involved in research. Read a snipped in the following excerpt:
"There is a dearth of nurses leading and contributing to research on community healthcare and generating evidence to underpin care. Lack of evidence impedes policymakers in commissioning high-quality community healthcare and optimising outcomes for patients and their families.
This editorial seeks to establish a Community of Practice for Community Nursing Research working group, collaborating with key partners such as the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing and International Collaboration for Community Health Nursing Research.
The Community of Practice would create a forum to share ideas, network and build research capacity in community nurse-led research.
So we invite community nurses and clinical academics to work with us and key partners to form a Community Nursing Research Community of Practice.
The new Community of Practice is for all community nurses, regardless of experience with research. We want to be inclusive and to reflect the priorities of members.”
– Ben Bowers (University of Cambridge) and Catherine Evans (King’s College London)
Opportunities and Resources
Research Funding and Training
Explore opportunities on the Forum’s page on the QiCN website.
Webinars and Events
Our first webinar took place on 15 June 2022, featuring:
- Louise Wolstenholme – Community Nursing Research
- Lee Tomlinson – Community Nursing Research
- Caroline Dickson – Community Nursing Research
Newsletter
Sign up to receive updates on research opportunities, events, and mentorship programs.
Who We Are
The Forum was co-founded and is led by Ben Bowers, a community nurse and end-of-life care researcher at the Primary Care Unit, University of Cambridge.
Our Partners
We collaborate with key organisations in clinical research and nursing, including:
- Association of District Nurse and Community Nurse Educators
- International Collaboration for Community Health Nursing Research
- NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Pathway
- NIHR Nursing Incubator
- NIHR School for Primary Care Research
- NIHR School for Social Care Research
- The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing
Get Involved
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Join our growing community!
- Sign up for the newsletter
- Find out more about the Forum
Contact: Ben Bowers, Community Nurse Clinical Academic
Email: bb527@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Twitter/X: @Ben_Bowers