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RECRUITMENT
Poor growth in GPN numbers ‘ seriously worrying ’
A ‘ significant ’ lack of growth in the number of general practice nurses working in England has sparked a fresh call for improved pay and employment conditions for those in the sector .
Nursing leaders have flagged serious concerns over the latest general practice workforce statistics , which show a slight increase in the number of full-timeequivalent ( FTE ) GPNs , but a small decrease in the overall headcount .
As of July 2023 , there were 16,952 FTE nurses working across general practices in England – up by 1.6 % ( 265 ) on July 2022 . But the overall headcount of general practice nurses stood at 23,369 – down 0.3 % ( 79 ) on July 2022 . The data , published in August by NHS Digital , also show a total of 4,049 FTE advanced nurse practitioners – up 2.2 % year on year . RCN head of nursing Christine Callender told Nursing in Practice the limited increase in registered nurse numbers reflected the need to address recruitment within practices . She reiterated the call for improved pay and working conditions .
‘ This lack of significant growth in the number of general practice nurses is seriously worrying and shows there ’ s still a lot of work to be done to attract people into the profession ,’ Ms Callender said . Analysis , page 12
SOCIAL CARE
‘ Notable rise ’ in modern slavery concerns among social care staff , says CQC
The number of referrals made by the Care Quality Commission ( CQC ) over potential cases of modern slavery among the social care workforce in England has more than quadrupled within a year , according to data shared by the CQC with Nursing in Practice .
The figures reveal a ‘ notable rise ’ in referrals made in relation to potential modern slavery in social care settings – up from seven in 2021 to 30 in 2022 . And in the first quarter of 2023 , the health watchdog had already referred a further six potential cases .
‘ Modern slavery and the exploitation of workers in health and social care is completely unacceptable ,’ a CQC spokesperson said .
‘ We have seen a notable rise in referrals of potential instances of modern slavery since the beginning of 2022 .’
In comparison , during the prepandemic years , there were four referrals in 2018 and seven in 2019 .
WORKFORCE
Nursing course acceptances down 13 %, says UCAS
The number of students accepted onto nursing courses in England fell by 13 % compared with the last academic year , latest data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service ( UCAS ) reveal .
As students across the country received their A-level results , doubt was cast over the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan ’ s targeted expansion of the nursing workforce , as the number of students due to start training has fallen . Figures from UCAS , which handles undergraduate university applications , show that 18,300 students were accepted onto nursing courses in England for the 2023 academic year , a 13 % reduction compared with 2022 when 21,130 students were accepted .
This reduction is largely driven by a decrease in the number of students
applying to courses in 2023 . In 2022 , nursing courses in England received 41,220 applications , whereas this year courses had only 33,570 applicants , a fall of more than 18 %.
RCN deputy director for nursing Dr Nichola Ashby warned that acceptance numbers had to increase if the NHS Long Term Workforce plan was to succeed in boosting the nursing workforce .
‘ The UK Government has stumbled at the first hurdle of their NHS Workforce Plan , with 13 % fewer people expected to take up nursing courses this year in England ,’ said Dr Ashby . The challenge of recruiting more nurses into general practice , page 28
WORKPLACE
Partners ’ rift created ‘ toxic ’ workplace for nurses at London practice
Nurses experienced a ‘ toxic ’ workplace culture after a rift between two GP partners at a south-west London general practice that was rated ‘ inadequate ’ by the Care Quality Commission ( CQC ).
Following an inspection in May , Eltham Palace Surgery in Greenwich received the CQC ’ s lowest overall rating . The practice ’ s ratings in four of the five areas of assessment fell from ‘ good ’ at its previous inspection to ‘ inadequate ’.
The inspection report , published in August , found there was a ‘ divide ’ between two GP partners , which had created a ‘ toxic work environment ’ for the three nurses and other staff working at the practice .
CQC deputy director of operations in London Antoinette Smith said the health watchdog was ‘ disappointed ’ to find that a deterioration in the partners ’ relationship had ‘ led to serious leadership issues ’.
‘ This resulted in leaders overlooking issues impacting people ’ s safety and allowing a toxic workplace culture to develop ,’ Ms Smith added .
Scottish ministers cited research suggesting almost one in five adolescents had tried vapes . ‘ Disposable vapes are a threat to both public health and the environment ,’ Scotland ’ s first minister Humza Yousaf said .
RCN extends chief executive Pat Cullen ’ s tenure for a further year RCN chief executive and general secretary Pat Cullen is to remain in post until the end of 2024 . In a blog post to members in the summer , Ms Cullen said she was ‘ proud and fortunate ’ to have accepted an extension to her contract , which had been due to end this December .
Ms Cullen reflected on an ‘ incredibly busy and professionally challenging couple of years ’, including historic strike action and ‘ navigating internal issues ’ related to the culture and governance of the college .
Recruitment for her successor will now begin next year .
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