Nurse Roots: Growing Nurses in Primary Care
Supporting Practices, Growing Students
Pre-registration nursing placements in General Practice across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Nurse Roots is a hybrid primary care placement programme for pre-registration nursing students from local universities. This programme offers a rich, supportive introduction to General Practice Nursing and showcases primary care as a rewarding first-destination career.
*Practice/PCN recruitment for student nurse placements for dates between February – May 2027 is now open*
To confirm your availability, please complete the form found here
Why Nurse Roots Matters
As more care shifts from hospital to community settings, it is vital that student nurses experience primary care early in their training. Nurse Roots helps to:
- Increase exposure to General Practice as a first-destination career.
- Address an ageing nursing workforce and recruitment and retention pressures.
- Challenge the perception that nurses must work in hospital settings before moving into General Practice.
- Highlight the complexity, autonomy and public health impact of the GPN role.
Benefits for Practices & PCNs
- Workforce development: Support aspiring General Practice Nurses and strengthen future workforce pipelines.
- Staff development: Mentoring students enhances leadership, supervision and teaching skills within the team.
- Future recruitment: Positive placement experiences encourage students to seek employment locally upon qualification.
- Enhanced service delivery: Students contribute to clinics, health promotion and project work within their scope.
- Reduced supervision burden: GPN Facilitators and Retire & Return nurses support supervision and PAD completion.
- Financial contribution: Practices receive payment for hosting students and may benefit from increased service provision.
- System-wide links: Strengthens relationships across the wider local health and care system.
Benefits for Student Nurses
- Real-world experience: Exposure to the diverse and autonomous nature of General Practice Nursing.
- Skill development: Gain experience in immunisations, chronic disease management, wound care and public health.
- Career insight: Increased awareness of GPN pathways and opportunities available in primary care.
- Confidence & autonomy: Build communication, decision-making and clinical skills in a community setting.
- Supportive environment: Access to PNA-led restorative supervision and a structured hybrid learning model.
- Career opportunities: Build connections that support applications into the GPN Foundation School or GPN roles on qualification.
- Broad system understanding: Insight days help students understand population health, services and referral pathways.
🌱 Workforce Pipeline
Hosting students supports future GPN recruitment and strengthens succession planning.
🧑🏫 Supported Supervision
GPN Facilitators and Retire & Return nurses help with supervision, assessment and PAD completion.
💷 Financial Contribution
Practices receive payment for hosting students and may benefit from student-led service delivery.
⚕️ Enhanced Service Delivery
Students contribute to clinics, health promotion and locally agreed priority work within their scope.
🌟 Staff Development
Hosting students develops leadership, supervision and teaching skills within your team.
🔗 System Connections
Placements strengthen relationships across the wider local health and care system.
Nurse Roots tabs
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How the Hybrid Placement Model Works
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Eligibility Criteria
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Pilot
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Placements
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Timetable
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Important Information (Students)
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Student Corner
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Supervisor & Assessor Information
The Nurse Roots placement model has been designed to reduce pressure on practices while providing students with a high-quality, holistic learning experience in primary care.
- Practice days in GP surgeries – Students gain insight into the role of the General Practice Nurse and wider primary care team.
- Role-specific education sessions –teaching focused on GPN practice, such as long-term conditions, immunisation and screening programmes.
- Restorative Clinical Supervision – Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) led sessions to support student wellbeing during placement.
- Local priority work – Students support practices with agreed areas of service delivery and locally identified priorities.
- Insight days – Visits to supporting voluntary and charity organisations to better understand population health needs, services and referral pathways.
- Project work – Students develop and implement a project in health promotion, quality improvement, or a topic agreed with the practice.
- Access to Training Hub courses – Opportunities to attend free Staffordshire Training Hub courses during the placement.
To be eligible for a placement you must be on one of the below pre-registered nursing programmes:
- Part 2.2 onwards of a BSc programme
- Part 3.1 onwards of a BSc programme
- Part 3.1 onwards (non-summative) of a MSc 2-year programme
- Part 3.1 onwards of a MSci 4-year programme
- Seeking an elective placement
And also:
- Have a genuine interest in exploring a career in General Practice
- Ability and willingness to travel between multiple practice, education and insight sessions*
- Have a full understanding of the Nurse Roots hybrid placement model
Students on Adult, Paediatric, Mental Health and Learning Disability programmes are welcomed.
Priority will be given to students who have not yet had a primary care placement opportunity.
*Please note, insight sessions can be held anywhere in the Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent region. Whilst we try and minimise travel distance and time, cannot always guarantee this. It is important that you are able to meet the expectations of travel when applying for a placement.
The Nurse Roots model was piloted in June 2025 in collaboration with North Staffordshire GP Federation, offering placements to pre-registration nursing students from Keele University and Staffordshire University.
- 9 students took part in the initial pilot.
- 5 students have already secured roles within the Staffordshire GPN Foundation School upon qualification.
- Practices reported fresh energy, insight and valuable contribution from students within their teams.
This is a promising start and demonstrates the programme’s potential to contribute directly to the GPN workforce pipeline and help meet system-wide workforce needs.
Nurse Roots placements are delivered across multiple sites in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, in partnership with a range of GP practices and local organisations.
To view an example Programme timetable, click here
Preparing for your placement starts before your first day. The information below will help you understand what to expect, how the Nurse Roots model operates, and what you need to do before your placement begins.
- Read your handbook, confirm your acceptance of the placement, and return all requested documentation no later than three weeks before your placement begins. Due to the high demand for Nurse Roots placements and the preparation required by placement providers, failure to do so may result in your place being offered to another student.
- The hybrid Nurse Roots model involves travel between multiple learning environments. Please ensure you have suitable transport arrangements before accepting your placement.
- Education, induction and clinical skills sessions are held in Stafford.
- Insight sessions take place across Stafford, Cannock, North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, typically on Thursdays, Fridays and some Saturdays.
- Practice placement days are usually Monday to Wednesday and cannot routinely be changed.
- As part of your placement, you will complete and present a Quality Improvement (QI) project, which contributes towards your placement hours.
- Your weekly timetable will vary due to the hybrid nature of the programme; however, your overall placement hours will meet the required minimum.
- Additional ‘make-up’ placement hours are not routinely available. If you have concerns about your placement hours, please contact the Staffordshire Training Hub as early as possible.
- Staffordshire Training Hub is your placement host and should be your first point of contact for any queries or concerns.
- You may be allocated to more than one General Practice within a Primary Care Network (PCN) and must be able to attend all allocated placement sites.
Please let the Staffordshire Training Hub know of any planned absences as soon as possible to prevent unavoidable timetable changes.
Keele University Students
Practice Information Area for Student Nurses, Nursing Associates and Midwives
University of Staffordshire Students
Student support – University of Staffordshire
The Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment (SSSA) set out how students are supported and assessed in practice learning environments.
SSSA most commonly refers to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment, which provide the framework for training, supervising, and assessing nursing and midwifery students in the UK. It ensures students receive safe, effective, and standardized support during their practice placements.
For more information, or to book initial or update training, please click the link below:
Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment (SSSA)
How to Get Involved
For Practices and PCNs:
If you are interested in learning more about the Nurse Roots model, please contact the Staffordshire Training Hub team at traininghub@gpfirst.net.
We welcome practices and PCNs who wish to support a student nurse to complete the confirmation form linked below:
For Voluntary, Community and Charity Organisations [VCSE]
If your organisation is able to offer learning opportunities that support student nurses in primary care, or if you would like to see how we can help support your health focused roadshows or initiatives, please get in touch with us on the below details
Contact:
Email: traininghub@gpfirst.net
Phone: 01785 747373
For Student Nurses:
If you are wanting to explore a career in General Practice Nursing, and fulfil the eligibility criteria above, please submit an expression of interest form linked below.
To view an example Programme timetable, click here
Student Quality Improvement Work
As part of their placement, students have the opportunity to undertake and implement Quality Improvement (QI) projects focused on an identified need within the practice, patient population or wider community.
These projects have already made a valuable and meaningful contribution to our practice and the services we provide, with project work supporting improvements in areas such as patient experience, service delivery, health promotion and the way services are accessed and delivered.
Projects may focus on health promotion, quality improvement, service development or another area agreed with the practice. Students work alongside practice staff to explore an identified need, develop and implement an appropriate project, and consider the impact of their work on patients, staff and services.
Examples of the benefits and contributions from student QI projects include:
- Improving patient experience, access and outcomes
- Supporting safer and more effective ways of working
- Developing resources, processes and approaches that benefit patients and staff
- Supporting evidence-informed improvements to services
- Sharing learning and contributing to a culture of continuous improvement within the practice
Through this work, students have been able to make a tangible contribution to the practice and the patients, while gaining valuable practical experience of applying QI principles and contributing to service improvement.
Please click on the links below to view some of the previous quality improvement work:
Cohort One
Breathe Easy: Taking Care of your Asthma – Emily Milne
Cervical Screening Poster – Holly Blood
Cervical Screening Changes 2025 – Jemma Ashmore – Finney & Stefanie Barber
Sexual Health Clinic – Kelsey Emery
Loneliness Flyer – Sarah Bennett
Psychological Health – Anthony Chingindi
Cohort Two
You Are Not Alone Poster – Stefanie Barber
Music during Cervical Screening – Victoria Cole
Social Prescribing in General Practice – Oluwatunmise Owopetu
Hypertension – Precious Asemota
Home Blood Pressure Reading Form – Precious Asemota
Multi-lingual Cervical Screening Waiting Room Information – Reem Mohammed
Cohort Three
Female Genital Mutilation – Rebecca Hatton
Creating an LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity in General Practice – Abbie Barker
Improving Parent Awareness of MMRV – Samira Aluede
MMRV – One Vaccine. Four Protections – Emily Jones
Important Information
The information, resources and materials presented on this page are examples of work undertaken by students and may include information that is no longer current. Content may not reflect the latest clinical guidance, policies, evidence or recommended practice.
The information is provided to showcase the work previously undertaken and is for informational purposes only and must not be used as clinical guidance or relied upon when making decisions about patient care. For current advice and guidance, please refer to the latest national and local guidance, relevant professional bodies and appropriate healthcare professionals.
Testimonials
“Our student has been a real asset to the team. If we could keep him, we would” [Practice Manager, cohort 1]
“This placement has given me motivation and uplift to progress my career in practice nursing. The amount of compassion and care is incredible – Thank You” [Student Nurse, cohort 1]
“The hybrid placement supported my development by combining practical experience with structured learning. It helped me apply theory to real patient care, develop clinical and communication skills, and gain a better understanding of how GP services operate. It also improved my confidence and professional decision-making” [Student Nurse, cohort 2]
“It’s been a great placement, I will be sad to leave. So much to experience with chronic conditions and skills” [Student Nurse, cohort 3]
“Our student was a pleasure to have with us at our GP surgery” [Practice Manager, cohort 3]
“North Staffordshire Training Hub has developed a strong and highly effective partnership with Keele University, built on shared values around workforce development, quality education, and patient-centred care. The collaboration has gone from strength to strength, with excellent communication, mutual trust, and a clear commitment to supporting both students and general practice. The Nurse Roots model has grown significantly in recent months and is already demonstrating real impact. The model provides a meaningful, supportive learning experience for student nurses while enabling them to make tangible contributions to primary care teams. This has helped to showcase the value, capability, and future potential of student nurses within general practice settings. Overall, this partnership represents an exemplar of collaborative working, innovation, and shared commitment to strengthening the general practice nursing workforce” [Director of Undergraduate Programmes & Practice Education, Keele University]
Supporting Organisations & Professionals
The success of the Nurse Roots model relies on strong partnerships across the local system. We are grateful for the support of:
- GP practices and PCNs across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
- GPN Facilitators and Retire & Return nurses
- GPN Educators
- The Staffordshire GPN Foundation School team
- Local experts, Federations, Universities and ICB colleagues
- Voluntary, Community and Charity Organisations [VCSE] – Everyone Health, DESMOND, Meir Matters, Community Drugs and Alcohol Service [CDAS], New Era
