10 point action plan for GPN

The General Practice Forward View published in April 2016 pledged a major expansion of the primary care workforce which includes a £15 million investment to support General Practie Nurses (GPNs). Following this, in March 2017, HEE published “General Practice Nursing Workforce Development Plan – Recognise, Rethink and Reform” which included a series of recommendations for organisations that can influence the GPN workforce

In response to these plans NHS England has now developed General Practice – Developing confidence, capability and capacity: a ten point action plan for General Practice Nursing that describes the changes required to improve recruitment and retention, and encourage the return of nurses to general practice. The plan helps nurses and health care support workers focus on demonstrating their contribution to reducing the three gaps identified in the Five Year Forward View – the health and well-being gap, the care and quality gap, and the funding and efficiency gap.

The action points are:

• To raise the profile of General Practice Nursing
• To extend leadership and educator roles
• To increase the number of pre-registration nurse placements in General Practice
• To establish induction and preceptorship placements in General Practice
• To improve access to “Return to Practice” for nurses in General Practice
• To embed and deliver a radical upgrade in prevention of ill health in primary care
• To improve retention of GPNs
• To support access to educational programmes to deliver the national priorities of the Five Year Forward View
• To increase access to clinical academic careers and advanced clinical practice programmes, including nurses working in advanced practice roles in general practice.
• To develop healthcare support worker (HCSW), apprenticeship and nursing associate career pathways through implementation of the HEE GPN service education and career framework including health care support workers, apprenticeships, nursing associates and the promotion of advanced clinical practice and access to clinical academic careers.
• To improve retention

At a local level there will be support from one of four Regional GPN Delivery Boards, and targets will be set by January 2018 for the number of additional GPNs employed including those returning to practice.

HEE local office Thames Valley will continue to build on our current commitment to supporting development of the General Practice Nursing Workforce through the work of our Community Education Provider Networks and the ongoing provision of access to the GPN Foundation Programme.

Zoe Berry
Programme Director (General Practice Nursing), HETV
Email Zoe.Berry@hee.nhs.uk;