Lack of political recognition for nurses working in general practice

The last two weeks have been a mixture of complete admiration for the way in which all colleagues in health and social care have met the need for the COVID-19 vaccination programme to be stepped up at a pace and scale never seen before – and despair about the lack of political recognition for the nursing workforce in the community.

Given that the first time nurses and GPs heard about the acceleration of the programme was when the Prime Minister announced it in the media on the evening of Sunday 12 December, the response in action the following day is nothing short of heroic, uncomplaining, and comprehensive. Finding out that your world of work is going to substantially change within a few hours and applying your clinical and organisational skills to ensure the safety of your communities based on a national announcement a few hours beforehand, is not for the faint-hearted. And general practice nurses have, as they always do, stepped up and applied their considerable knowledge and skills to deliver on the Prime Minister's promise to the country.