title: Leadership across boundaries: a qualitative study of the nurse consultant role in English primary care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the emerging role of nurse consultant in an English primary care setting.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Nurse consultants have been introduced in England since 1999 as senior, non-managerial nurse leaders. They have generally found it that it takes time to negotiate manageable work-loads.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four qualitative case studies
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders within the organization. Data were analysed thematically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All four nurse consultants might potentially work with a very large number of disciplines, departments and other organizations. As a result, it took time to identify priorities and to make relationships. Thus, although nurse consultants are well-placed to work across boundaries, two had made relatively little progress in doing so.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurse consultants working in primary and community health care settings are well-placed to be boundary-spanners, delivering change across organizations. Negotiating priorities and relationships are time-consuming tasks, and nurse consultants may have to work with a restricted number of partners initially.
authors: Public Health and Primary Care Unit, St Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery, City University Institute of Health Sciences, London, UK. s.j.abbott@city.ac.uk
authors: Abbott
authors: A
authors: Stephen
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002651:Child Advocacy; D003253:Consultants / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007587:Job Description; D007857:Leadership; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000451:nursing; D008131:London; D016294:Models, Nursing; D017008:Negotiating; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013041:Specialties, Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D019467:Subacute Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017748:Time Management