GPN pay and conditions vital to NHS 10-year plan success, urges leading nurse

England’s lead primary care nurse has urged the government to ensure general practice nurses (GPNs) are given an annual pay rise and above statutory maternity, paternity and sick pay.

Louise Brady said these conditions should be delivered nationally as part of the GP contract and ‘must be a priority for patient safety’.

Posting on social media platform X, the national primary care nursing lead at NHS England warned the government that without action on GPN pay and conditions, its 10-year plan aspirations for the health service would be at risk.

Her comments came after it was confirmed last week that the government once again expects GP practices to pass on a 4% pay rise for GPNs and other employed staff in England for 2025/26.

Separately, GP nursing staff employed under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme should be given a 3.6% rise following increased funding for primary care networks.

Ms Brady said: ‘Empirical evidence demonstrates that patients, families and carers value the therapeutic relationships that our nurses offer in general practice across the life course.

Related Article: Government expects 2025/26 pay awards to be passed on to practice nurses

‘And yet this nursing workforce must rely on employers to “pass on” uplifts to T&Cs of employment.’

In recent years, serious concerns have been raised about the lack of GPNs receiving a pay rise from their employer and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has repeatedly called for ring-fenced funding.

In November 2024, an exclusive Nursing in Practice survey found that half of general practice nursing staff in the UK were yet to receive a pay rise for 2024/25. 

A separate survey by the RCN some months later at the start of 2025 found that almost a third of general practice nursing staff were still waiting for a pay increase.

Ms Brady added: ‘General practice nurses have been advocating for fairness, equality and parity within this space, and negotiating on an individual basis with GP employers for nearly three decades.

‘What will it take for GP employers across the board to recognise the inherent value that this workforce brings to patients, their families and their communities across England?’

She pointed to recent news of strike action being discussed among resident doctors, and added: ‘Yet this is a nursing workforce who don’t even have above statuary sick pay, maternity or paternity pay embedded nationally within the GP contract.’

Tagging the health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, in her post, Ms Brady said: ‘This must be a priority for patient safety.’

The national primary care nursing lead also warned that the government’s newly launched 10-year plan will suffer unless changes to GPNs’ terms and conditions are introduced.

‘This will hamper the aspirations of the 10-year plan. We need to see a financial ring-fenced firm commitment from GP employers in support of nursing staff now to make [a] tangible difference for the future,’ she wrote.

Related Article: Some nurses ‘cannot afford’ to work in general practice

Launched this month, the plan included fresh changes to primary care nursing, including expanded advanced practice roles, increased nursing apprenticeships and opportunities for nurses to lead new neighbourhood health services. 

Ms Brady urged ministers and the British Medical Association (BMA) to ‘step in now’ to support the general practice nursing workforce.

‘This would include above statutory sick and maternity pay for nursing employees [and] encompassing annual uplifts in pay, terms and conditions,’ she said.

‘We have the evidence that this workforce makes “the social and economic difference” and the impact to sustainable outcomes in prevention and long-term conditions.

‘High time this highly skilled workforce is recognised for their contribution.’

Ms Brady also asked her GPN followers if they felt treated with ‘dignity and respect’ by their employees, if they were given the educational tools and training needed to give ‘meaning and purpose’ to their work, and if they felt ‘recognised for your contribution to general practice’.

In April, a General practice nurse pay: A salary survey of the profession 2025 report, produced with our sister title Management in Practice, revealed that the average salary of a full-time (or full-time equivalent) GPN working in the UK is only £35,057 and lags behind those working in NHS hospitals. 

Related Article: Third of practices considering replacing non-GP ARRS staff with GPs

Based on a survey of more than 500 GPNs, the report found that a significant 28% of GP nursing staff said they wanted to quit in the next 12 months and that dissatisfaction with pay and feeling undervalued are among the key reasons for this.

In May, it was revealed that practice managers are pushing the government for a dedicated funding pot to ensure general practice nurses and other staff receive pay rises equivalent to their NHS counterparts.

The Department for Health and Social Care and BMA have been contacted for comment.