Prototyping a new minimum standard for general practice nurse education

There is a long history of nurses in general practice having poorly coordinated access to education and variable employment conditions (Atkin and Lunt, 1993; Crossman, 2008; Queen's Nursing Institute [QNI], 2016). The flexibility of their employment model in general practice has attractions but also a down-side, as it limits their ability to negotiate minimum standards of professional development support if they are lacking. These forces in combination affect general practice nurses' (GPNs') perceived level of empowerment and influence at a time they most need to step-up their game to cover the demands in general practice, particularly post-COVID-19. There is a recruitment and retention crisis impacting on GP practices across the UK (Napier and Clinch, 2019). The GPN workforce is fairly stable but predominantly populated by those over 45 years old. The increasing pressure in general practice and the current changes in the structure of primary care puts GPNs in the spotlight as they help their GP colleagues to try and maintain excellent primary care. Finding time to devote to maintaining their continuous professional development and understanding the complex matrix of education on offer is therefore a real challenge, which poses a risk to ensuring quality of care and patient safety.