Community matrons: documenting the specialist contribution of the role (Part 6)

This is the final article of a series of six which draw on the contentof some masterclasses organised and funded by the Department of Health for community matrons during summer 2006. It highlights the two-old importance of evaluation in promoting and supporting successful embedding of the role. Firstly, evaluation approaches that post-holders and their managers might use to demonstrate the value of the community matron role in order to ensure its propagation are suggested. Secondly, insights are gleaned from existing evaluations of new nursing roles to suggest factors that are likely to encourage or hinder the successful establishment of the community matron role.