Bursaries, Schemes and Initiatives
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Overview
A General Practice Nurse is a registered nurse who works autonomously within a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) within General Practice (GP) surgeries as part of a Primary Healthcare Team and is usually employed by the General Practitioners.
They assess, screen, and treat people of all ages, including babies, children, and adults, in addition to providing traditional aspects of nursing care such as wound care, immunisations, vaccinations, cervical cytology sampling, and hold clinics for patients with long-term conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and diabetes.
A key role of the General Practice Nurse (GPN) is to offer health promotion advice in contraception, weight loss, and smoking cessation, in addition to promoting women’s and men’s health.
A practice nurse will be involved in almost every aspect of patient care and treatment, undertaking such tasks as:
- Treating small injuries
- Helping with minor operations done under local anaesthetic
- Helping people manage long-term conditions
- Health screening
- Family planning
- Running vaccination programmes (e.g. against flu)
- Running programmes to help people to stop smoking.
Nurses working in General Practice are undertaking an ever wider range of roles, with experienced nurses assuming more of the traditional workload of GPs. For nurses working in primary care, this should be seen as a positive development; for those seeking a challenging and rewarding nursing career, General Practice can offer this.
Please watch the video below to find out more information:
The role allows nurses to develop long-term relationships with individuals and families, managing their conditions and improving physical and mental health and wellbeing. However, this is only possible when sufficient time can be invested to support patients to develop effective self-management and preventative measures.
Today’s Practice Nurses are also far more likely to visit patients in their own homes.
The QNI has produced a free online learning tool for nurses new to General Practice or considering moving into this field. Click here for more information.
The role of a GPN is extremely suitable for a Newly Qualified Nurse who wishes to choose General Practice as a first destination career. There are schemes and education to support you in this transition.
Key Information
Second and Third Year Nursing Students
General Practice Nurse Facilitators (GPNFs)
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Useful Links
- Discovering a Nursing Career in General Practice: CNO002 Discovering a Nursing Career in General Practice | NHS England | Workforce, training and education
- General Practice Nurse Induction Template: Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing | GPN Induction Template
- Transition to General Practice Nursing: Queen’s Institute of Community Nurses | Transition-to-General-Practice-Nursing.pdf
- Understanding the role of General Practice Nursing: General practice nursing | NHS England | Workforce, training and education
- Comparison of Roles and Responsibilities in General Practice to Patient Group Directions (PGDs) and Patient Specific Directions (PSDs): Staffordshire Training Hub_PGD PSD Guidance for Practices_Aug 2025
- Leadership Toolkit for General Practice Nurses – Midlands Region: Leadership Toolkit for General Practice Nurses- Midlands Region
- Primary Care & General Practice Nursing Career & Core Capabilities Framework: General practice nursing capabilities framework | Skills for Health
- The Standards of Education and Practice for Nurses New to GPN: Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing | Standards-of-Education-and-Practice-for-Nurses-New-to-General-Practice-Nursing-1.pdf
- General Practice Nurse Network: Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing | General Practice Nurse Network