More than a third (36%) of general practice nursing staff say they spend one hour or less per week on training and development opportunities, an exclusive Nursing in Practice survey has revealed.
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’.
Of around 500 survey respondents, some 6% said they spent zero hours a week on training and development, while some 30% said they only spent an hour.
Together, this means more than a third (36%) of general practice nursing staff have one hour or less a week for these opportunities.
An enhanced level practice nurse responding to our survey said: ‘Continuity in primary care needs to change. Focus upon development and training is poor in many areas.
‘GP partners need to understand pay has to be inflated to account for lack of NHS benefits and access to training.’
Nursing in Practice has heard from practice nurses who are concerned that many are having to take on additional training and development in their own time and are not being paid for this.
Frances Baverstock, clinical governance lead at Plas Menai Health Centre in Wales, worries that many nursing staff are attending webinars and training ‘in their own time’.
‘I think it’s OK if you’re interested in it [additional training] and doing it for your own personal development, and a lot of nurses are happy to do that, but not if people are going on courses for the benefit of the practice, and they’re not getting remunerated properly,’ she told Nursing in Practice.
Ms Baverstock explained that continuing professional development (CPD) time is ‘not written in stone’ and warned there could be significant disparity in the training time available for nurses.
She suggested training would depend on practice needs and nurses’ confidence in asking for funded training time.
‘I think there should be parity for CPD between all of the nursing staff, including general practice nurses, nurse practitioners and health care support workers,’ she added.
One survey respondent, who is a GPN, said they felt practice nurses were ‘a dying breed’ and not being given the same opportunities as staff employed through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS).
The ARRS provides funding for primary care networks (PCNs) to employ some general practice staff, including nursing associates, advanced nurse practitioners and pharmacists.
‘Sad times when practice nurses are being told there’s no money to develop them,’ the practice nurse said.
‘We are feeling we need to diverse as a lot of our role is being taken over by ARRS roles. ARRS are being developed but we’ve been forgotten – feel like a dying breed.’
As reported last month, practice nurses look set to be added to the ARRS this year, following a set of government proposals now under consultation.
Under the proposals, PCNs can only use the scheme to hire practice nurses who have not previously worked for any of its constituent practices.
GPNs flagged the importance of professional development in the Nursing in Practice GPN Manifesto 2024.
The manifesto point, championed by advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) Jenny Bostock, called for all nurses to be given the time for professional development and career progression.
Our survey – carried out in September and October 2024 – has 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 552 general practice nursing staff responded to these questions from across the UK, with the majority within England. A total of 492 answered the question on training and development opportunities. 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.
