The number of nurse partners across GP practices in England is up by almost a third since 2021, but has fallen in recent months, latest workforce data has shown.
New general practice workforce data published by NHS England this month has shown there were 66 full-time equivalent (FTE) nursing partners as of December 2024 – up 3.5% in a year.
This also marks a 32% increase since 2021 when there were just 50 nursing partners in post.
However, when compared with September 2024, when there were 69 nurse partners, the latest data represents a 4% decrease.
While nurse leaders have welcomed the increase in recent years as ‘positive recognition’ of the expertise of the profession, some also warn more support is needed for those in post.
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Becky Wych, an advanced clinical practitioner and nurse partner at Combe Down Surgery in Bath, said having nurse partners was ‘pivotal for primary care’.
Though she added that there ‘has to be support, supervision and peer review’ for those in post.
‘At times you can feel like a lone voice,’ Ms Wych said, adding that some external organisations ‘don’t really recognise the role that we are taking on’.
She also said that while she was not surprised by the increase in nurse partners, she hoped it was not the case that this was only happening in areas where they were difficulties recruiting GPs.
‘What would upset me is if there’s an increase in nurse partners that are just in areas that are struggling to recruit,’ Ms Wych told Nursing in Practice.
It was her view that having a nurse partner in a practice improves how staff are ‘included’ across the workplace.
‘This is not just if they are nurses, but for admin teams as well – having a nurse practice partner helps bring a different voice and different outlook to GPs,’ she said.
Meanwhile, a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) spokesperson said: ‘The increase in nursing staff being partners in general practice is positive recognition of the skill, clinical expertise, as well as the professionalism of those working in primary care.
‘Nursing leadership in general practice, and at the partnership level, gives opportunities for nurses to directly influence practice policy and priorities, workforce planning and crucially develop high-quality patient services through a nursing lens.’
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While the general practice partnership model ‘must remain open to nursing staff’, the RCN recognised the challenges those in post can face.
‘There are significant challenges that anyone leading in general practice faces, not least with workforce shortages and continuing pressures on services,’ they said.
‘Nurses are well placed to lead, manage, and deliver primary care but the RCN wants to see a change to the funding model for general practice that supports the nursing workforce including nurse partners that will enable the delivery of high-quality patient care to the local population.’
In recent months, the RCN has been calling for ringfenced funding to ensure nurses in general practice are given the pay rises they have been promised and for an ‘equitable and stabilising approach’ to general practice nursing employment.
Also responding to the latest data, Sam Donohue, outgoing acting executive director of professional practice at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and a registered nurse, said nurse partners play a ‘vital role’ in general practice, using their leadership and expertise to meet the ‘evolving needs’ of local communities.
‘It’s important that all professionals – regardless of their role – are listened to, with their insights and expertise genuinely valued and supported,’ she said.
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‘Empowering professionals not only leads to higher-quality care but also fosters a more inclusive, innovative, and effective health and care environment for everyone who uses these services.’
Following the publication of a recent general practice workforce whitepaper carried out by our publisher Cogora, Nursing in Practice has been exploring the current state of recruitment within general practice nursing.
