Nursing in Practice: A manifesto for general practice nursing in 2024

This issue of Nursing in Practice, A manifesto for general practice nursing in 2024, spoke to general practice nurses to identify their top 10 points for action for 2024 – producing an exclusive manifesto for general practice nursing.

In our final issue of Nursing in Practice, we hear from many GPNs who aren’t happy with the direction of travel at their practices or the progress of the profession and want to see urgent change so that they can care for patients more effectively, so we asked 10 nurses for their top priorities to create a manifesto for general practice nursing.

GPNs highlighted issues such as workforce shortages, soaring patient demand, and pay and conditions that fall far short of those on offer to nurses working elsewhere in the NHS as just some of the ongoing issues hampering their nursing practice. Nurses identified health inequalities, focus on supporting patients with long-term conditions, health promotion and targeting immunisation update in general practice, as important areas requiring attention.

The 10 points of the manifesto for general practice nursing will also be published online at nursinginpractice.com and these important topics will form part of our ongoing content this year.

Our interview with Royal College of Nursing’s primary care lead shows just how important this year will be for nurses working in general practice. Indeed, 2024 will be pivotal for those in the sector, suggests Heather Randall, saying that the next 12 months could be ‘the making or demise’ of general practice nursing.

Elsewhere in this edition of Nursing in Practice, we review key priorities for nurses and the wider team in respiratory care, and in cardiovascular care – highlighting areas such as medication review, communication between primary and secondary care, patient education and the importance of patient follow-up.

An insightful article from an independent advanced nurse practitioner looks at the journey to advanced practice for nurses wanting to achieve it, the potential for regulation for this area of practice, and the value of the role in healthcare.

In this edition, Nursing in Practice has thanked readers for reading our print magazines over more than 20 years. We have now transitioned to a fully digital format, with articles updated daily, providing nurses with news, features, opinions, clinical advice and CPD, online, in newsletters and via the app.