Could Fewer Practice Nurses Mean Ongoing Constraints In Face-to-Face GP Appointments?

Ms Gregory is concerned that the GPN role is being undervalued. Indeed, one of those at her surgery left due to improved terms and conditions in another role.

“I just think that general practice nurses have so much knowledge and valuable experience and that won't be replaced,” she explained.

Pay and working conditions for Practice Nurses are determined on a practice-by-practice basis. This can result in a wide variation of employment conditions, unlike NHS nurses who are mostly employed on the Agenda for Change (AfC) framework.

How big a contributor could the lack of standardised terms and conditions be in the numbers of Practice Nurses leaving their positions or retiring?

And should the Government and NHS look at incorporating GPNs into the AfC framework? If so, would this arrest the decline in the numbers?

Heather Randle, professional lead for primary care at the Royal College of Nursing, stressed that practices had never stopped offering face-to-face appointments. She did state that practices’ workload had “significantly increased” however.

“There are some situations where a patient can have their needs met through a virtual consultation, in fact some patients are choosing this option,” she said.

Given that digital engagement cannot be a substitute for physical appointments in all cases, what should health authorities and the government be doing to try and retain those experienced GPNs in their roles, or at least in the Practice Nurse field?

The other issue that could have an effect on the availability of face-to-face appointments is the rise in levels of abuse suffered by frontline healthcare staff, including those working in GP surgeries.

A BMA commissioned survey of GPs and hospital Doctors from July this year saw over 70% of GPs reporting an increase in abusive behaviour compared to last year.

BMA GPs committee chair Richard Vautrey warned that ‘anti-GP rhetoric’ was exposing Doctors and their colleagues to increased levels of risk.

Do you think that if there is ‘anti-GP’ rhetoric then this, combined with increases in abuse towards healthcare staff during the pandemic will mean that fewer face-to-face appointments will increasingly become the norm?

And if so, should this be an acceptable solution both to a staffing shortage, and also the consequence of government policy to prioritise COVID over other far more serious illnesses?

Please let us know what you think in the comments, and Like the article if you found it interesting.

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