The evolving role of the General Practice Nurse (GPN) with specialist knowledge and skills is pivotal in contributing to the success of the transformation of primary care services. The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has therefore drawn up new Voluntary Standards for nurses new to General Practice Nursing as well as separate Voluntary Standards for senior General Practice Nurses.
The Voluntary Standards of Education and Practice for nurses new to General Practice Nursing were published in 2020. The QNI was commissioned by NHS England to develop the standards and they have been designed to provide a structured overview of best practice for nurses at the beginning of the career pathway. The standards also aim to give guidance to education providers developing introductory GPN programmes and Specialist Practitioner Qualification programmes.
The QNI and QNI Scotland jointly published Voluntary Standards for General Practice Nursing Education and Practice in 2017. These standards are focused on senior General Practice Nurses and have been designed to reflect the requirements of this role. These standards seek to guide senior GPN clinicians, their employers and higher education institutions (HEIs).
GPN Single Point is an area on the FutureNHS collaboration site (registration required), which is your single point of access for up-to-date assured GPN information. Facilitated by NHS England and NHS Improvement, it’s your opportunity to access the resources generated by the General Practice Nursing Ten Point Plan Programme.
The plan (delivered nationally and regionally) is aimed at raising the profile of general practice nursing as a first destination career; improving access to training; increasing the number of pre-registration nurse placements and enhancing retention; supporting return to work schemes for practice nurses and developing a career pathway for GPNs and HCSWs.
A ten point action plan for General Practice Nursing
This major review of the GPN workforce was based on online research with over 3400 nurses working in primary care in 2015. The publication has had a major impact on subsequent policy and education initiatives. For more information visit the QNI website:
The QNI has launched a new prize for outstanding students of the GPN Specialist Practitioner Qualification, the Ellen Mary Memorial Prize. For more information about nominating a student, visit the QNI website:
