It is fair to say that there have been very mixed reports of general practice during the pandemic. The vast majority of practices have remained open for business for their registered population, with infection prevention and control measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus. General practice nurses have risen to the challenge and have continued to serve their communities with face-to-face and virtual consultations as appropriate.
It is just a very few employers who have generated a poor image for general practice, creating anxiety among the population that they may not get to access their GP services as needed. Such an approach has also led to some nurses having significantly reduced contract hours and in some cases being asked to take statutory sick pay only when being required to self-isolate.
GPN experiences during the pandemic
The Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI) is aware of this both through our self-referrals for the ‘TalkToUs’ service and the NHS England/NHS Improvement commissioned report on general practice nurses' experiences in the first wave of the pandemic. This document will be published in due course and I am sure it is already helping to inform strategic work and the support for nurses in general practice as we head into the second wave of the pandemic.
Our listening service, TalkToUs, offers emotional support by phone to registered nurses (QNI, 2020a). The TalkToUs service has heard firsthand about the experiences of the nurses working in primary care and the community and has provided emotional support and signposting for nurses in general practice and other community settings. We don't turn any nurses away either and have provided support and signposting for nurses working in a hospital setting too.
Raising your voice
The information from both sources supports the QNI rationale for working with nurses to raise their voices and articulate their value. Some Queen's Nurses have told me that they don't shout about their award as colleagues might see this as boasting. Surely though, the title celebrates all that is good in nursing and indicates recognition in the individual of the highly regarded professional values of the Queen's Nurse (QNI, 2020b).
The title is open to apply to all who believe they meet the criteria. The application is supported by colleagues, line managers and testimonials from the people served – a true 360 degree assessment of the applicant. An independent assessment is made of the evidence submitted – which is extensive. We are so grateful to the National Garden Scheme to enable the award of the title to continue and their campaign ‘Help Support our Nurses' has been superb this year, despite much reduced garden openings (https://ngs.org.uk/help-support-our-nurses/).
Championing GPNs
Having Queen's Nurses who work in general practice also helps the QNI to understand the current and emerging issues in general practice, so that we can provide a platform to raise their voice and articulate their value. We continue to be champions of the work undertaken by nurses in general practice and, as a charity founded to improve the care of people in the community through nurse education and standards for education and practice, we are also contributing to the work of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as they undertake the review of post-registration standards for community specialisms – including the NMC recordable General Practice Nursing Specialist Practice Qualification (GPNSPQ).
This is an opportunity to articulate the unique nature of the GPNSPQ role and the advanced level of nurse-led practice, which is demonstrated in this leadership role, with autonomy and independence, complex assessments and complex decision making at the heart of the work. Please do get involved and share the opportunity – it is another way for every GPN to raise their voice and value (NMC, 2020).