5
GP settings over the period , from 16,352 to just 16,351 . District nurse numbers have also dropped , from 4,335 to 4,161 in that time frame .
Health visitors are excluded from the target , which the DHSC said only covers nurses in NHS provider and GP settings because these are easier to track through NHS Digital data . However , their numbers dipped to 6,194 from 6,981 across the same period .
In the update , the DHSC admitted the number of additional nurses by the March 2024 deadline could be as low as 42,000 under current plans , although it could also be as high as 61,000 . The wide range is due to difficulty in predicting the rates of nurses leaving the profession and student nurses dropping out , it said .
RCN chief executive Pat Cullen called on the Government to be ‘ transparent ’ about how it calculated the 50,000 target and whether that number would lead to ‘ safe and effective care ’.
The report listed many ‘ barriers to value ’ for GPNs , including practices denying time off for training because of workload pressures . Many GPNs said they felt left out of conversations about primary care , with some citing a lack of nurse representation on PCN boards .
Some nurses told researchers that patients , the public and other healthcare professionals see them as ‘ just a nurse ’. Others ‘ downplayed ’ their achievements until challenged , the report found .
Yet it highlighted that practice nurses are key to the delivery of the Long Term Plan ’ s aim to support older people and those living with long-term conditions , as well as prevention and public health . See cover feature on page 8 , and exclusive survey of GPNs on page 12 .
Many GPNs would move to AfC under proposals in Javid-backed report
The authors of a report welcomed by the health secretary have said more nurses in general practice would be on Agenda for Change ( AfC ) contracts under its proposals .
The report – published in early March by the think tank Policy Exchange and backed by Sajid Javid – recommends phasing out the GMS contract by 2030 , with most GPs contracted by scaled providers such as trusts , and a £ 6bn ‘ rescue package ’ to ‘ buy out the GP-owned estate ’.
A Policy Exchange spokesperson told Nursing in Practice they would expect the proposals to see ‘ a greater proportion ’ of GPNs to ‘ move to core NHS AfC contracts ’, although this would not be the only option in the ‘ mixed economy ’ suggested .
She continued : ‘ Independent health policy experts share our concerns about the workforce not growing at the scale and pace needed for health and care services . This is a political target in the absence of a proper health and care workforce strategy .’
The Government publishes no regular assessments on workforce numbers needed now and in the future . Healthcare groups are calling for this to be made a requirement as part of the Health and Care Bill passing through Parliament .
Ms Cullen also highlighted that the number of unfilled nursing posts has ‘ risen not fallen ’, with the latest statistics showing 39,652 FTE vacancies in December 2021 , up from 36,277 in December 2020 .
Chief nursing officer for England Ruth May called the figures a ‘ testament to the tremendous efforts being made to recruit , retain and develop more nurses ’ but said ‘ there is much more to do ’.
The authors are also ‘ keen ’ to see a more ‘ diversified ’ general practice voice in negotiations with NHS England and the Government .
The spokesperson said : ‘ As general practice becomes increasingly multidisciplinary , we think nurses ... need a greater voice in how services are designed as its workforce has greater prominence in the delivery of primary care services .’
In a foreword to the report , Mr Javid said it offers ‘ credible ideas and insights ’. Primary care has an ‘ exciting future ’ but the Government needs ‘ to think deeply ’ about service design , he added .
NMC set to end emergency registration
The emergency registration of nurses and midwives onto the NMC register is set to end on 24 March , as England ’ s emergency Covid legislation expires . However , the NMC has asked for temporary registrants to have three to six months ’ notice after this date so they can continue to practise after the emergency legislation expires , and will have time to move to the permanent register if eligible .
Chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe said the NMC would ‘ keep all our temporary registrants informed ’ and would offer them support to move onto the permanent register if they wished to continue practising .
The temporary register was first introduced in March 2020 to allow recently retired nurses and midwives who left the permanent register in March 2015 to help tackle the pandemic .
Clinical news
Test using cervical screening samples may identify cancer risk
A test in development at University College London that uses cervical screening samples to detect cancer could also measure future risk . It may identify up to 30 % more women at high risk of breast or ovarian cancer than current genetics-based tests . ONLINE Scan QR code to read the full article
Primary care physical activity interventions ‘ increase participation ’
Adults involved in physical activity interventions in primary care take part in an extra 14 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise , a UK review published in the BMJ suggests . It included 46 randomised controlled trials involving 16,000 people worldwide . ONLINE Scan QR code to read the full article
Diabetes soups and shakes diet sees average 13kg loss in three months
People with type 2 diabetes following the NHS soups and shakes 12-month diet lose an average of 13kg ( more than two stone ) in three months . Early data from 2,000 participants found they lose an average 7.2kg after one month and 13.4kg after three months . ONLINE Scan QR code to read the full article