It is a pleasure to introduce myself as the new editor of Practice Nursing. I am looking forward to building on the stellar work of my predecessor Kelly Nickalls, who proved to be a tireless advocate of practice nurses, as well as continuing to collaborate closely with editor-in-chief Debbie Brown, the driving force behind the journal.
As I send my first issue of Practice Nursing to the printers, the nursing world is in turmoil, with a second wave of historic strike action on the horizon. A group of unions representing NHS staff has voted to accept a pay offer from the Government, but division remains.
Unison, GMB, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists and the Royal College of Midwives were among those who supported the 5% pay offer, plus a cash top up. However, The Royal College of Nursing and Unite voted against the deal, with RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen warning that industrial action on behalf of nurses could ‘go on for years.’ Health Secretary Steve Barclay says he now plans to impose the deal on all of those on the Agenda for Change pay scale.
This pay offer will no doubt provide little joy to nurses working in general practice (while they are not covered by Agenda for Change, the RCN has said any pay rise for nurses should provide an indication as to what GPNs should be paid), in particular in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, where they served as one of the key sectors in combatting the virus. Successive Health Secretaries (and there have been more than a few recently!) have highlighted the key role that general practice plays in the public health of the UK, but have been reluctant to address the major challenges highlighting primary care. In particular, staff retention is a major problem, as thousands of highly experienced nurses retire every year. This is another issue that will not be solved until policy makers get serious about pay and conditions in general practices.
I would like to send a warm welcome to Alex, who is the new editor for Practice Nursing. Alex and I have previously worked together, and I know he has the same passion, commitment and energy as Kelly Nickalls to bring to the role.
We have some exciting new ideas to make the title the must-have journal for GPNs everywhere. Keeping you all up to date with clinical content, strategic changes, such as the new GP contract and of course other areas of interest, such as having regular updates from the RCN GPN forum and a chance to have your say back. Regular trends and updates from WeGPN on Twitter will be featured and of course words of wisdom from Dr Crystal Oldman OBE, CEO of the QNI.
However, we cannot do this alone, we need your help. Please let us know what you would like to see in Practice Nursing, so we can continue to provide the best information for GPNs.
‘Practice Nursing provides nurses working in general practice with the tools to reach their full potential and deliver the best possible care to their patients. Our monthly journal informs and inspires by providing up-to-date, evidence-based clinical articles, highlighting key professional issues and promoting the latest research in general practice.’