Connecting and empowering General Practice Nurses across London

The GPN Monthly Meeting Group is made up of representatives from a range of organisations working to support GPNs across London. This includes NHS England, Health Education England, the Queen’s Nursing Institute and the RCN.

I first became involved with the group at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I was working as a Senior RCN Officer for the London Region. At that time, the group’s sole focus was on supporting GPNs through the pandemic. However, it quickly became clear to me that GPNs were facing a wider range of issues – issues which had existed long before the arrival of COVID-19.

Many of the challenges GPNs face stem from the isolation of their role. They’re often the only member of nursing staff at their workplace, and although they may be part of the NHS, their terms and conditions of employment can vary drastically from their colleagues. This can lead them to feel disempowered, like they don’t have a support network or a way to make their voices heard. Fortunately, the GPN Monthly Meeting Group is working to solve these problems.

In the latter half of last year, as the pandemic seemed to be easing, we decided to expand the GPN Monthly Meeting Group’s focus from COVID-19 to the broader support and empowerment of GPNs. We drew up a strategy and divided it into three main themes: Elevate, Enhance and Empower. Each theme contains a mixture of short-, medium- and long-term goals, with timeframes ranging from one to 10 years.

The Elevate theme is all about raising the profile of GPNs, within both the nursing profession and society more widely. One of the key goals for this theme is to start quantifying and reporting on the financial value brought into practices by GPNs. This will help us advocate for better terms and conditions of employment, including bringing all GPN contracts in line with Agenda for Change.

The Enhance theme revolves around improving training, education and career development opportunities for GPNs. A key goal of this theme is to review existing educational resources for GPNs and collate them together into a new London-wide framework. This will allow all GNPs across the region to access the same resources, which will be aligned with the national GPN framework.

Finally, the Empower theme aims to build confidence and leadership among GPNs. A key goal for this theme is setting up a pan-London support network for GPNs across all bands. This will help us to facilitate conversations around pay and training and will allow GPNs to organise more effectively.

For me personally, the GPN Monthly Meeting Group is an exciting opportunity to work in partnership with GPNs and to help ensure that their voices are heard. Since starting my current role as Lead Nurse for IHSC in London, I’ve been able to integrate this work into the RCN’s wider programme of support for GPNs.

Improving the working lives of GPNs across the UK is one of the key workstreams of the RCN’s IHSC strategy. We’re working to develop GPN networks in every country and region, which will allow us to organise and advocate more effectively on both a local and national level. Members are invited to join our GPN Forum, where you can find all the latest news and events relating to GPNs, as well as a list of useful resources. If you have any questions or comments, you can also contact me directly at millie.simms@rcn.org.uk.