Foundation of Nursing Studies

The Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS) is a United Kingdom-based organisation that operates at the intersection of nursing practice, practice development and academic publishing. It is best known as the publisher of the peer-reviewed journal Practice Development in Health Care, which focuses on the theory and practice of developing person-centred care and practice development in nursing and health care settings. The organisation is a registered charity and describes itself as an academic publisher based in the United Kingdom. FoNS was established in the early 1980s as a charitable foundation dedicated to improving nursing practice through research, education and practice development. Over the decades it has supported nurses and health care teams through programmes, grants, workshops and publications aimed at translating evidence into everyday care. Its work is closely associated with the practice development movement, which emphasises collaborative, values-driven approaches to changing health care practice. As a publisher, FoNS has produced journals and resources for nurses, educators and researchers. Its flagship publication, Practice Development in Health Care, provides a forum for scholarly work on practice development, person-centred care, and the culture and context of health care practice. The foundation also offers consultancy, facilitation and development programmes for health care organisations. FoNS is a small, specialist organisation rather than a large commercial publisher. It operates primarily in the United Kingdom and serves the nursing and health care community through its charitable objects, publishing activities and practice development expertise. Its headquarters are in London.

The Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS) was established in the early 1980s as a charitable organisation with the aim of improving nursing practice through research, education and practice development. It emerged during a period when nursing was increasingly seeking to strengthen its professional and academic foundations, and when the concept of practice development — a systematic approach to improving care through collaborative, values-based change — was gaining prominence in the UK and internationally. From its base in London, FoNS developed a range of activities including grants for nursing research, educational programmes, and practice development initiatives with health care teams. A significant part of its identity became its publishing activity. FoNS published the journal Practice Development in Health Care, which became a key forum for scholarship on practice development, person-centred care and the culture of health care organisations. The journal brought together practitioners, educators and researchers and helped to define and disseminate practice development as a field. Over the years, FoNS has worked with a wide range of health care organisations, offering facilitation, consultancy and development programmes designed to support teams in changing practice. Its charitable objects centre on the advancement of nursing and health care for the public benefit. As a small specialist organisation, it has maintained a focus on the nursing workforce and on the practical application of knowledge rather than on large-scale commercial publishing. In the 2010s and beyond, FoNS continued to operate as a UK charity and publisher, adapting its programmes and publications to the evolving health care landscape. Its work remains closely tied to the practice development community and to efforts to embed person-centred, evidence-informed care in nursing practice.

• 1981

  Foundation of Nursing Studies established as a UK charitable organisation.

• Publication of the journal Practice Development in Health Care.

A specialist UK nursing charity and academic publisher focused on practice development and person-centred care.

• Practice Development in Health Care

  Peer-reviewed journal focused on practice development and person-centred care in nursing and health care.

1. 1Foundation of Nursing Studies - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Foundation of Nursing Studies official websitefons.org