The Role of a Practice Nurse
Nurses are an important part of delivering care in general practice. An increasing shift of care from hospitals to general practice means that nursing has become an increasingly exciting career choice.
General practice nurses work in GP surgeries as part of the primary healthcare team, which might include GPs, Practice Managers, Paramedics, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Physician Associates, Social Prescribers and practice support staff. In larger practices there may be several practice nurses sharing duties and responsibilities. In smaller practices a practice nurse may be working alone, taking on many roles. More information regarding the role and opportunities for development can be found on the GM Primary Care Careers Platform – https://gmprimarycarecareers.org.uk/generalpractice/careers/nursing
Development Opportunities
Discovering a Nursing Career in General Practice Nursing Module
Fully funded by Health Education England and developed by the University of Salford, this module is available to Registered Nurses, Nursing Associates and year 2 & 3 Trainee Nursing Associates and students Nurses considering a career in General Practice Nursing. The module provides the opportunity to gain a better understanding of working in Primary Care/General Practice and the skills and knowledge required in the General Practice Nursing role. It aims to support movement into this sector. Use this link for further information – CNO002 Discovering a Nursing Career In General Practice | University of Salford
Part Time Nurse Apprenticeship – Expressions of Interest Required
We have a fantastic opportunity for our HCA, Nurse Associate and Assistant Practitioner workforce who may want to consider developing into registered nurses. This option allows HCAs to undertake a part time Registered Nurse apprenticeship degree so they can work within the practice for 2 days per week in a HCA or AP role with 3 days per week committed to the new role/at university. The part time RNDA programme is based on the learners completing 22.5 hours each week on programme with the University of Bolton across 3 days a week. Any remaining hours of their contract they would then complete in their current employed role. They ask that learners have a minimum of a 30 hour contract. The programme is a 4 years and 7 months programme for a HCSW. For an AP, it would be 3 years and for an NA 2 years 7 months. Further details are in this expression of interest form – Expression-of-Interest-Form. For any further questions please contact Zena Bleasdale, Programme Lead, by email Z.Bleasdale@bolton.ac.uk It is likely that practices would need to fund the individuals full time salary however there should be no course costs (or minimal course costs if any). Delegates will be required to complete an initial assessment for English & Maths as part of the application process for this programme. They may also be required to complete modules in Functional Skills (English & Maths) as a part of this qualification if they have not previously achieved the minimum requirement (Level 2). We can provide support for anybody needing help with regards to obtaining the English and Maths qualifications.
Practice Nurse Foundation Course
We now have a range of support for practices/PCNs who have employed or are wanting to employ nurses new to primary care, whether this be newly qualified or those who have been working in different settings. There are three different offers and details are attached. The GPN Foundation Training (the digital offer) and the GPN Foundation Skills Training (f2f and online) is for any nurse, Practice or PCN employed, who would benefit from GPN foundation skills, this is likely to be any nurse transitioning into primary care from a different setting. The GPN Speciality offer is for nurses who are in their first 12 months of employment and are employed by a PCN.
1)GM GPN Foundation Training Offer – Digital Offer – For nurses new to Primary Care – Practice or PCN Employed
This provides free access to a 12 month virtual clinical training programme along with 1:1 support from an experienced Stockport Practice Nurse (from our Stockport Training Pod) to help them embed the learning and sign off their competencies. The programme will cover a range of clinical areas including CVD, Diabetes and Respiratory. Further details are available here. Practices from Stockport can register on this programme now and start at any time – so if you are about to recruit this offer will still be available to you in the coming months. Register: https://bit.ly/gm-nursing-foundation-enrol. This offer does not normally provide back-fill support.*
2) GPN Foundation Skills Training Offer – Face to Face/Online – For nurses and Nurse Associates new to Primary Care – Practice or PCN Employed
This also provides free access to a 15 week course along with 1:1 support from an experienced Stockport Practice Nurse (from our Stockport Training Pod). This offer is face to face and online and starts in September 2023. The sessions are running in Salford. The ‘Foundation Skills Flyer’ is available here. There is no backfill funding with this offer but it does include cervical cytology, immunisation training, chronic disease management, family planning and female health. If you want to register for this course, please scan the QR code on the flyer.
3) GPN Speciality Training PCN Pilot Offer – For nurses who are newly qualified (in their first 12 months of employment). Need to be PCN employed. One place per PCN**
This offer is a 2 year funded training offer for PCNs to recruit newly qualified nurses who are interested in working in primary care. The aim is to equip the nurses with the skills and knowledge required to support local population health needs with the ambition of reducing health inequalities. The programme incorporates the 12 month GM GPN Foundation training – digital offer (12 month virtual clinical training with 1:1 support), along with the 2 year GPN Fellowship programme which includes a focus on networking, peer support, PCN portfolio working, health inequalities and population health. Again, this offer is open for the foreseeable future so you could apply for this at any point. Funding will be provided to support this programme. In year one participants should be released from their PCN for 2 days per week to complete the activities in the Foundation and Fellowship programmes. In year two participants should be released for 0.5 days per week to complete the Fellowship programme. Funding will be provided to cover the time out at £18ph totalling £17, 550 across the 2 years. Full details are in the attached FAQ GPN Speciality Training Jan 2023 . PCN’s should follow this link https://rb.gy/r3nzim to complete the Expression of Interest form. PCNs will need to confirm their commitment to support the candidate for the 2 year period to complete the learning and development package to help improve their knowledge and skills specific to primary care.
Practice Nurse Fellowships
The Greater Manchester Training Hub (GMTH) are pleased to offer the Practice Nurse Fellowship. You can apply to start a fellowship within the first 12 months of completing your nurse training or within your first 12 months of joining primary care. You would need to hold a substantive salaried or partner role, delivering Primary Care. It focuses on leadership, mentoring and coaching skills and the way primary care works. Year 1 will begin with an introduction to general practice, the delivery of the fundamentals through access to the foundation course and introduction to peer networks, the development of your PDP and introduction to your PCN. In your second year you will continue with peer support, supervision and coaching plus have access to learning & development on Quality Improvement,, leadership, practice management skills & remote consultations. The final part of the Fellowship will be your PCN portfolio working. For more details see the attached flyer GMTH-GPN-Fellowship-Programme-leaflet and visit the GMTH website https://gmthub.co.uk/gpn-fellowship for details on how to apply or email gmth@gmfeds.co.uk with any questions.
The general practice nurse is corner stone to care delivery in general practice, anecdotally taking up to 5 years to develop an experienced GPN. The associated cost attached to this variable across GM, however, typically being upwards of £6000 including time away from practice to study. We are delivering a 2-year Fellowship programme that will facilitate this development: the salary support is based on pro-rata costs and the educational element is free.
Community Nursing Specialist Practitioner – General Practice Nurse Apprenticeship
This will support you as a registered nurse to gain advanced level skills and knowledge in primary care. The General Practice Nursing Apprenticeship supports you in developing specialist skills, knowledge and behaviours required in the implementation of whole-person, place-based and integrated care enabling you to support people in the community in a range of primary care settings.
Further details are available on the flyer. Please contact the Greater Manchester Training Hub to discuss further – carla.slater1@nhs.net
Other Useful Resources
The General Practice Nurse Education Network (GPNEN) – community nursing charity the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has launched a website for general practice nurses, which is describes as an online repository of educational and clinical resources. Click here for further details.
Transition to General Practice Nursing – The QNI has launched a free online learning resource to support nurses who are new to General Practice, ‘Transition to General Practice Nursing’ based on the knowledge and expertise of nurses and educators working in the profession. It can be accessed via – Transition to General Practice Nursing