Reviewing general practice nurse pay, terms and conditions

Anecdotal evidence from students wanting to work in general practice points to GPNs being viewed as lower skilled, with nurses making the move to have a quieter job role, with more social hours..

Fear: an unrecognised symptom of COVID-19

ACT NOW in diabetes and foot assessments: an essential service

There were 7545 major amputations in people living with diabetes in England across three years from 2015–2018 (Public Health England, 2019). There is also a postcode lottery for amputation rates with...

‘Head held high and carrying on’: Reflections from GPNs on the impact of COVID-19

Early on in the pandemic, advising patients about their at-risk category took a lot of time and energy. There was a rapid move from face-to-face to virtual consultations, which proved a challenge due...

Highlighting the value you bring to general practice

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'...

Digital transformation in general practice nursing during COVID-19

I devised a questionnaire examining aspects of knowledge and use of technology. With medical student volunteers and interpreters in some cases, we rang 200 random patients—ranging in age from 18 years...

Raising awareness of cervical cancer in younger women

September was Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month and we at Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust launched new research into cervical cancer symptom awareness among women aged 18 years and over. Worryingly,...

The ‘new normal’: delivering childhood immunisations during the COVID-19 pandemic

Delivery of the national immunisation programmes in general practice did not cease. Good coverage of immunisations is crucial to prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (such as pertussis...

The need for more nurses in clinical director roles

Are we doing enough for our BME workforce in nursing?

The statistics tell a very stark story and the writing is evidently on the wall.

Hypertension: don't be silent about ‘the silent killer’

Over the years, the role of nurses in blood pressure management has changed significantly. There has been a move away from nurses simply measuring, monitoring and charting blood pressure to specialist...

The quest to find an effective vaccine for COVID-19

Coronaviruses include a range of organisms that can cause diseases, including the common cold and the current SARS-CoV-2. Despite the original severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus...