Is the primary care network the answer to increase student nurse capacity in general practice?

Driven by the NHS Long Term Plan (NHS, 2019), the landscape of primary care is changing. The plan further cements the philosophy of primary care at scale. Contractually the ‘at scale’ philosophy is to be achieved through primary care networks (PCNs), which are multiple neighbouring practices working together to achieve population-based care, serving 30 000–50 000 individuals (British Medical Association (BMA), 2019). Alongside this, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have updated their educational standards with the publication of Realising Professionalism (2018a; 2018b). These standards see the end of the ‘mentor’ role (NMC, 2008) and introduce practice supervisors, practice assessors and academic assessors (NMC, 2018a). These two drivers could potentially change the context of how learners in general practice are allocated to placements, supervised, and assessed. This article examines how these drivers could impact on the creation of effective learning environments, while exploring the concept of the ‘community of practice’. Could the creation of PCNs offer greater access and ease of placements for local Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and could PCNs provide greater opportunities to increase the variety of learning environments for the students? But who or what is responsible for this? The simple answer is every single registered nurse, because nurses are all duty bound by the professional code and are therefore responsible for the development and growth of the profession (NMC, 2015).