Raising the voice of practice nurses in 2020

The International Year of the Nurse and Midwife provides a fabulous opportunity to showcase and celebrate the work of nurses who make a difference to peoples' lives every day. The work of general practice nurses is central to the health and wellbeing of all communities in every village, town and city; general practice nurses are the only nurses who see residents at all stages of their lives—from birth to death, cradle to grave—or, using the term of a GP colleague—sperm to worm. However, it is rare to see practice nurses being promoted in the media as highly skilled, autonomous practitioners and key professionals in the general practice team.

The recent publication of the Primary Care Network (PCN) service specifications make no reference to general practice nursing (NHS, 2019), but it is likely that much of the work of the new services, such as ‘weekly home rounds’ in care homes, will be done by practice nurses. In many areas this service is already being led and managed by the nurse practitioner of the GP surgery.