Aim To compare the satisfaction levels of patients and carers with a community night nursing service.

Method Thirty seven patients and 23 carers completed satisfaction postal questionnaires. Respondents were further subdivided into acute, chronic and terminally ill patients and their carers.

Results Satisfaction levels with the service were generally high, although respondents from the terminally ill group showed the lowest levels of satisfaction overall. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that results between the groups were not significantly different (Chi-square (x2) test = 3.52; df = 2; P = 0.172).

Conclusion Although the results demonstrated positive levels of satisfaction with the community night nursing service, there were some respondents who indicated a low level of satisfaction. This could be explained by patients’ and carers’ lack of autonomy and inadequate provision of psychological care.