GPNs deserve ‘clear pathway’ on pay and conditions, says RCN lead 

General practice nurses (GPNs) must have a ‘clear pathway and structure’ for pay to help stamp out variations across the country, a leading nurse has urged.

Speaking in an interview for our newly launched podcast the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) professional lead for primary care, Kim Ball, stressed how the GPN role ‘needs to be fully evaluated’, including by improving pay and conditions. 

‘At the moment there isn’t fairness across the board. I know there are variations where some staff receive more than others, but it shouldn’t be a postcode lottery or a competitive process,’ she told Nursing in Practice.

‘There should be a very clear pathway and structure in place.’

Last November,  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. 

There are concerns that many GPNs will also be without a pay rise for 2025/26.

Related Article: Unite ballot sees NHS staff in England reject pay award

The RCN’s professional lead said that she is ‘pushing’ for GPNs to receive the equivalent of Agenda for Change (AfC) pay ‘as a minimum’.

At RCN Congress in May the union’s general secretary and chief executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, also said nurses working in general practice should be given ‘at least the same uplift’ as those on AfC.

Ms Ball said the current pay process for GPNs ‘must change’ and repeated the RCN’s calls for specific ring-fenced funding that is passed onto salaried staff to ensure practice nursing staff are not excluded from any pay uplifts.

‘This needs to be bound contractually for it to be implemented, and the current process isn’t working. And as I say, we can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. So, the government really needs to take note,’ she said.

‘If they [the government] want to talk about modernising pay structures, then let’s have one that recognises nurse jobs and how they’ve changed in 20 years and values them for the skills they have,’ Ms Ball added.

This week, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson suggested it was looking to work with the RCN around ‘pay structure reform’ for NHS nurses.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Nursing in Practice exclusively reported that changes to GPN terms and conditions could be part of a new GP contract, which is due before the end of this parliament. 

For 2025/26 , the government has told GP practices to pass on a 4% pay uplift to practice-employed GPNs, while nursing staff employed through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) should receive a 3.6% pay rise.

Ms Ball, who worked as a registered nurse in general practice for over a decade, noted that practice nursing was an ‘incredible role’ and explained how she had enjoyed an ‘incredible, varied career’.

Related Article: Government ‘can’t move any further’ on nurse pay, RCN told

Alongside working for the RCN,  she also works as a placements and quality lead and general practice nurse educator at Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Training Hub. 

‘It’s my passion to really help people to see it as a viable career path, but I do recognise that we need the government to do lots more to help us achieve that goal,’ Ms Ball said.

In April, Nursing in Practice’s General practice nurse pay: A salary survey of the profession 2025 report – produced with our sister title Management in Practice – found that the average salary of a full-time (or full-time equivalent) GPN working in the UK is £35,057.

The findings found that GPN pay still lags behind the earnings of their hospital counterparts who have the benefit of being on AfC contracts.

For example, under AfC pay scales for 2024/25, those working at Band 5 are on a minimum of £29,970 rising to £36,843. Rates for Band 6 are £37,338 to £44,962 and for Band 7, £46,148 to £52,809.

This week, the government said it ‘can’t move any further’ on headline pay for nurses following reports that those working in the NHS have voted to reject a 3.6% uplift for 2025/26.

Related Article: New GP contract ‘could address’ practice nurse pay and conditions 

The full results of the vote – hosted by the RCN for NHS members – are expected to be announced later this week.  

Click here, to listen to The Nursing in Practice Podcast episode in full – where Ms Ball discusses how the recently published 10-year plan could impact practice nursing and considers whether GPNs are sufficiently championed in primary care.

 You can subscribe to our newly launched podcast on Spotify or Apple Music to be alerted when new episodes are released.