Queen’s Nursing Institute survey of GP nurses

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) launched a major new report on general practice nursing on Monday 18 January. The report is based on an online survey completed by over 3,400 General Practice Nurses (GPNs) during 2015.

General Practice Nursing in the 21st Century: A Time of Opportunity’ summarises some of the key challenges affecting the profession today. It is the largest and most up to date survey of GPNs, and the first carried out by the community nursing charity.

Dr Crystal Oldman, QNI Chief Executive commented on the implications of the report for London:

“Our survey shows the huge range of healthcare carried out by nurses in GP practices. The management of long term conditions is particularly important in London because the capital has some of the highest rates of deprivation and the lifestyle factors that tend to accompany it.

“We also noted that GP practices in London are significantly less likely than elsewhere to offer placements for nursing students. Nationally the figure was around 27%, but in London only 19%. High quality student placements are a vital means of attracting new nurses into roles in primary care, and London students deserve this opportunity.”

Dr Oldman, went on to look at the broader findings of the report:

“This survey validates the role of the General Practice Nurse and the support provided by nurses in General Practice at every point during a person’s life, from infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood, to middle and older age. They are a vital part of the healthcare system in every part of the UK.

“The findings of the survey indicate some major challenges and opportunities which need to be addressed. The role of nurses in General Practice is expanding rapidly, and many of today’s nurses are now undertaking roles traditionally the reserve of GPs. There is a huge opportunity for increased investment in the General Practice Nurse workforce, to build the capacity of primary care, move more care to the community and closer to people’s own homes, and ease the pressures on A&E.”

“The survey findings will be useful to policy makers and workforce planners as they explore new models of care and meet the challenges of an older population with multiple and complex healthcare needs. The number of nurses planning to retire should be of major concern and we need to ensure that enough nurses are attracted to the profession so that patients can continue to receive high quality nursing care for themselves and their families when they attend the GP’s surgery.”

Headline findings of the survey

Note: these figures were corrected on 21 January 2016, having been mis-transcribed when the page was first published on 20 January.

Workforce

  • 33.4% of General Practice Nurses are due to retire by 2020
  • Men are under-represented, comprising only 2.0% of the General Practice Nurse workforce
  • 43.1% did not feel their nursing team has the right number of appropriately qualified and trained staff to meet the needs of patients
  • At the time of the survey, 78.8% had considered preparation for NMC re-validation

Education

  • 53.0% reported that their employer always supports their professional development
  • 10.6% hold an NMC recordable specialist practice qualification in General Practice Nursing
  • 32.6% of General Practice Nurses are independent prescribers
  • Just 27.0% of the employers offered placements for pre-registration nursing students, compared to 61.5% offering placements to medical students

Employment

  • 22.8% of nurses working in General Practice have two jobs
  • 32.6% of General Practice Nurses reported working evening sessions (after 6pm) and 18.5% work weekends
  • Over 38.3% indicated that they undertook visits to patients at home
  • Only 35% felt that their salary reflected their role within the practice
  • Salary and other terms and conditions such as annual leave entitlement vary widely 

 

Last updated : 21 Jan 2016

 

Clinical information dashboard delayed (22 May 2019)

The new Primary Care Indicators Dashboard was due to be launched on 1 May 2019. However, NHS England have encountered a number of problems relating to formatting and resolving...
Read more »

Premises update - May 2019 (22 May 2019)

Rent review process  The rent review process applies to all practices who rent their premises, regardless of who their landlord is.  Practices have been reporting delays following applications for a...
Read more »

Tips of the month May 2019 (22 May 2019)

We provide weekly tips based on common queries which come through to us from London GPs and practice teams. These are shared via social media and collated for...
Read more »

Improving numeracy and data skills in general practice (22 May 2019)

We all use maths every day, whether we consciously think about it or not. Staff working in healthcare are no different. Last week included National Numeracy Day, the annual celebration...
Read more »

International Nurses Day 2019 (22 May 2019)

We celebrated International Nurses Day on 12 May by highlighting the contribution of nurses on social media.   Did you know that only 11.4%...
Read more »

Primary care networks update - May 2019 (22 May 2019)

The process for setting up primary care networks (PCNs) has now moved on to the approval stage, following last week’s deadline for submitting applications. CCGs have until the end of...
Read more »

Making social prescribing work in practice (22 May 2019)

Dr Jane Myat, of the Caversham Group Practice in Camden, explains how her practice has used social prescribing to improve the wellbeing of patients and staff. From July, approved Primary...
Read more »
Next Page »
« Previous Page