12 | Nursing in Practice | Winter 2023 �nursinginpractice . com – for news and daily updates
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ADAPT TO DIGITAL HEALTH
‘ General practice needs to continue to evolve to serve patients better , adopting approved digital platforms and applications to improve patient care and outcomes .’
Sara Baldwin is a general practice nurse manager , co-chair of the primary care nursing shared professional decision-making council , an advanced clinical practice champion and a Queen ’ s Nurse . For the last two years she was also digital place lead for central Lancashire – one of five leads across Lancashire and South Cumbria .
Working across 194 practices , the digital place leads brought in a local intranet , introduced video group consultations and training , and installed a digital champion in every practice to help enable necessary changes . They implemented ‘ front door ’ triage with different platforms , increased the use of digital learning solutions to identify IT skills gaps in the workforce , and supported practices to ensure their websites complied with data regulations , increasing compliance from 21 % to 92 %. They increased the use of apps among practices and the number of practitioners signposting patients to apps for support with healthcare needs .
Ms Baldwin says the digital place project has received ‘ a lot of positive feedback ’, and shows primary care has ‘ an enormous appetite to use IT in a really beneficial way ’.
She says IT and digital in general practice can improve patient outcomes and help general practice deal with growing demand . ‘ We ’ re working at a higher rate than ever , in more trying circumstances , and digital is helping meet those challenges .’
People can find initially digital daunting ‘ because it ’ s new and challenging ’, she says . ‘ But if you are part of the conversation right from the beginning when you ’ re trying to embed digital , and you ’ ve had support , the whole process becomes easier , and people are more accepting of it .’
It ’ s important for all practices to embrace digital technologies , she says . ‘ Digital is going to keep growing within general practice . But if staff are to keep up to speed with these changes , there needs to be training and support .’
“ Primary care has an enormous appetite to use IT in a really beneficial way ”
General practice nursing ’ s manifesto for 2024
LET US KNOW What would be on your manifesto for general practice nursing ? Email your suggestions to the editor , carolynscott @ cogora . com
1 IMPROVE EMPLOYMENT TERMS The government should ensure general practice nurses have the same pay , terms and conditions as their secondary care colleagues .
2 TAKE ACTION ON WORKFORCE The NHS , practices , universities and other stakeholders need to change the narrative , to encourage more nurses to choose general practice .
3 TACKLE INEQUALITIES Practices , PCNs , the NHS and government should do more to promote the health of our less well-off families .
4 REINSTATE TIME FOR LONG-TERM CONDITiONS Practices and PCNs need to free up time for GPNs to empower patients to manage their long-term conditions , including diabetes , asthma and COPD .
5 PRIORITISE HEALTH PROMOTION NHS England , PCNs , and GP practices should ensure GPNs have the time and resources to carry out their crucial role in public health promotion and disease prevention .
6 SUPPORT WELLBEING GPN employers , PCNs and nursing bodies need to support nurses with their health and care , so they can care for others .
7 FOCUS ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT All nurses should be given the time for professional development to progress their careers . NHS England , PCNs and practices should encourage and support the ANP role to grow in general practice .
8 ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH It is important for general practice nurses to consider parity of esteem - valuing the patients ’ mental health needs equally to their physical health .
9 TARGET IMMUNISATION UPTAKE GPNs need to play an important role in overturning the decline in childhood immunisation uptake .
10 ADAPT TO DIGITAL HEALTH General practice needs to continue to evolve to serve patients better , adopting approved digital platforms and applications to improve patient care and outcomes .