Chart of the month - marginal growth in the GPN workforce

NHS Digital statistics show a small increase in general practice nurses

What is this?

This is a column graph of the nursing workforce in general practice.

What does it show?

It shows the percentage change in the general practice nursing workforce from December 2017 to December 2018. It highlights the change in total number, and also the different areas they work in, and how these proportions have changed.

What does it mean for me?

Recruitment of nurses into general practice is improving, but at a slow rate. The 1.3% increase in all nurses working within general practice equates to an extra 313 nurses. The majority of these are advanced nurse practitioners, an additional 409 of which entered general practice, but were offset by a loss of 207 practice nurses.

Better news can be seen at trainee level, as more trainee nurses join GP surgeries. Although the raw number is small, the trend is a positive one for a Government keen to ‘renew’ a workforce where more than 50% of its members are aged 50 or over.