Almost one in five general practice nursing staff are ‘unsatisfied’ in their role, an exclusive Nursing in Practice survey has revealed.
From a survey of more than 500 general practice nursing staff, only 13% said they were ‘very satisfied’ with their job, while almost half (49%) said they were ‘fairly satisfied’.
Some 12% described feeling ‘fairly unsatisfied’ and an additional 6% said they were ‘very unsatisfied’. A further 19% said they did not feel satisfied or unsatisfied.
Practice nurses responding to our survey described being ‘short staffed, on low wages and overworked’ and having a ‘lack of support and heavy workload’ as contributing factors to feeling unsatisfied.
One practice nurse said: ‘There are so many constraints on time you feel that you cannot give the care patients truly deserve.’
Another said: ‘The workload is increasing without any recognition of the impact of the nurse role in general practice.’
An advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) described how their workload had increased and become more complex, making it hard to take their unpaid lunch break.
This ANP now plans to take early retirement 15 months early due to stress and burnout and said they will be ‘financially worse off’ following this.
Respondents were also asked to rank the parts of their role they enjoyed the most – with ‘patient interaction’ scoring the highest.
This was followed by ‘working as part of a team’ and ‘being able to provide continuity of care’.
Joanna Vintis, lead nurse and practice placements facilitator at Newcastle GP services, said working closely with patients and colleagues is what ‘the dream of practice nursing is about’.
‘It’s that mixture of autonomy and being the right person to work one-on-one with your patient and decide what they want from their health.
‘That collaboration with my patients is what keeps me excited as a practice nurse, and I think we have the best relationships with patients because of that.’
Ms Vintis added that expanding career opportunities for practice nurses – beyond clinical settings – is key to improving satisfaction in the role.
‘We have a lot of phenomenal nurses that could be real future leaders within organisations, whether it be in practice, ICB [integrated care board] level, or national level. We need to give them a route to bring the nursing voice more power,’ she said.
Our survey – carried out in September and October 2024 – also found that more than a third (36%) of general practice nursing staff say they spend one hour or less per week on training and development opportunities.
Practice nurses have said they are being told ‘there’s no money to develop them’ and warned that the focus on training is ‘poor in many areas’.
Respondents have also shared concerns about the ‘constant pressure’ and ‘intense’ workloads they are facing, with some describing the at times unsafe conditions they are working under to meet increasing practice demands.
The survey also revealed the volume of general practice nursing staff who have not yet received a pay rise for 2024/25 and how many are looking to leave their role in the next 12 months.
This survey was open from 20 September until 18 October 2024, collating responses using the SurveyMonkey tool. A total of 510 general practice nursing staff responded to the questions on workplace satisfaction, while 503 answered on the elements of work they enjoy most. Respondents were from across the UK, with the majority given within England. The survey was advertised to our readers via our website and email newsletter, with a prize draw for £100 vouchers as an incentive to complete the survey. The survey was unweighted, and we do not claim this to be scientific – only a snapshot.
