Since 2014 I have had the pleasure of working on Practice Nursing. This will be my last editorial for the journal, so I am in a reflective mood. A lot has changed in general practice in this time. We've had the introduction of revalidation for nurses and midwives – something that was met with trepidation by some nurses at the time, but it seems to have been a success (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2016), the general practice nursing ten-point plan (NHS England, 2017), various reports on the state of general practice, and not forgetting the COVID-19 pandemic and the biggest vaccination programme ever seen – with GPNs playing an instrumental, and sometimes forgotten, role in its delivery. GPNs continued to see patients face-to-face during lockdowns, as well as adapting to virtual consultations, with some nurses setting up innovative online group consultations (Bradley, 2022).
Some things have – unfortunately – stayed the same. We still have no standardised terms and conditions for nurses in general practice. This is a huge problem for recruitment and retention, and one that will be difficult to solve without big changes to the structure of general practice and centralised intervention. Retention is a problem in many areas. Some areas, like Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, developed new ways of boosting retention through mentorship schemes (Practice Nursing, 2022). We continue to have a shortage of nurses coming into primary care, despite some fabulous work that has been done in some locations, encouraging students into general practice by providing placements and schemes to get newly qualified nurses interested in this career path. Demand for general practice services continues to grow to unprecedented levels – something that is unlikely to reduce anytime soon with an ageing and more chronically unwell population.
But what hasn't changed, is the professionalism, dedication and sheer hard work of general practice nurses. It has been a pleasure working with such an amazing and inspiring group of professionals over the past years. I have no doubt that you will continue to provide outstanding care to your patients, even in the face of challenges.
As always we'd love to hear from you at pn@markallengroup.com.
‘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.’