Being a nurse in GP land during a global pandemic
Karen Landi is a GPN at the Speedwell Practice, North Finchley, Barnet.
The Coronavirus pandemic has been very challenging at times, meaning we have had to learn to work in different ways, while managing concerns for our patient’s health and wellbeing as well as that of colleagues and our own families. Initially many of us felt that we were protected in our practices, with potential Covid patients being seen in hubs rather than regular practices. We felt for our hospital colleagues and district nurses and we know that their workload was immense and scary.
But we stayed open, and we did our bit! We called all our patients aged 80 and over as well as contacting all our most vulnerable and shielding patients (twice), offering support and advice. We also changed reviews to telephone calls whilst diabetes checks and reviews continued - once we’d worked out about PPE and cleaning schedules etc. Nurses became receptionists while staff were either unwell or isolating. It was a steep learning curve!
HPV screening continued and we even took part in a pilot for self-screening. We never stopped immunising babies and children and expectant mothers. We also completed a project around the bereavement services we offer and have made some positive and effective changes to our practice. This happened as we continued to support nursing students throughout the duration of the pandemic – they found this very useful as many of their placements had been cancelled.
We developed a student welcome pack and shared it with all GPN colleagues in Barnet and we are currently working on a project to incorporate art in the surgery. The aim of this project is to help reduce stress and anxiety levels for both patients, their families, and our staff members.
Our GPN WhatsApp group has proven to be an invaluable source of information updates and support. I feel very fortunate to be working with the nursing team we have at Speedwell, however all members of staff have pulled together to help out during this time. A huge thanks to all my colleagues: GPs,receptionists, secretaries, prescription team, scanners, admin support and our pharmacist (I hope I haven’t forgot anyone!).
Our GPs have vaccinated all care home residents including housebound patients - and we had a very successful flu campaign too. One Sunday in September we vaccinated just under 1,000 of our patients aged 65 and over!
Challenges have been there of course as consultation room doors are closed with people consulting via phone. This then led to the communications between clinicians being very difficult. It felt like being a talking pamphlet some days and working in a call centre on other days!
Management has been inundated with streams of emails and changes have happened quickly - often with very little notice. Despite this their support has continued.
Without a doubt there are some changes in our ways of working that we will keep, and some we look forward to loosing. However, we will continue to look forward in hope and optimism to meet the challenges that working in GP land brings!
Last updated : 12 May 2021Releasing capacity in general practice: invitation to free roadshow (19 Jan 2016)
London GPs are invited to a free workshop co-hosted by NHS England and the BMA. The event is intended to improve understanding of the evidence about workload, provide insights into...Taking the next steps in encouraging the use of online services for patients (19 Jan 2016)
As the NHS develops its strategy for encouraging patients to make use of online services, the uptake within primary care has been patchy. As part of the process for ensuring...NHS England GP engagement survey (19 Jan 2016)
South East CSU is developing an outline business case for an improved system of urgent and emergency services on behalf of NHS England, and would like GPs to help by answering...Mandatory reporting requirements for GMC and NHSE Performers’ List (19 Jan 2016)
There have been a number of recent cases of GPs not being aware of the extent of the requirements for reporting an untoward occurrence to the GMC and/or NHSE under...It's election year at Londonwide LMCs! (19 Jan 2016)
It’s LMC election time again at Londonwide LMCs! Elections take place every two years on a rolling basis and any GP working in one of the 27 London boroughs we...Parental leave arrangements (19 Jan 2016)
Parental leave arrangements Since 1 April 2015, all practices have been entitled to reimbursement of the cost of GP cover for parental leave – that is maternity/paternity/adoption leave. This is...Speakers’ Corner - NHS England’s (London) Kenny Gibson on why the flu vaccine is important. (19 Jan 2016)
This month Kenny Gibson explains the importance of the flu vaccination programme. Kenny is Head of Public Health Commissioning for...Apprenticeship programme for General Practice in North West London (18 Jan 2016)
Londonwide LMCs and Health Education NWL are working in partnership with training providers to deliver apprenticeships in Business and Administration and Clinical Healthcare. We are currently running a successful pilot...Registration now open - Dr Phil Hammond to chair Londonwide LMCs’ annual conference on 20 April 2016 (14 Jan 2016)
Winter planning resilience guide to help practices (04 Jan 2016)
Our Winter Planning resilience guide will help GPs and their practices create and maintain a business continuity plan. The guide can be downloaded from our...Guidance
We provide expert guidance for practices in our guidance section, as well as an archive of other materials you may find useful.
GP Support
Contact our GP Support team if you need help or advice.
The team provide professional and pastoral support to GPs and practice teams on a broad range of issues.
follow us on...
