04 June 2025

Children represent a significant proportion of primary care consultations in the UK, with up to 25% of general practice interactions involving young patients (Gill and Thompson, 2015). However, the nature of paediatric healthcare needs is evolving, while acute consultations for febrile illnesses remain common, serious bacterial infections are now rare (Wolfe et al 2013). Instead, there is a growing burden of non-communicable diseases, such as obesity and mental health disorders, which present new challenges for primary care providers (Di Cesare et al 2019; Fitzpatrick et al 2024). The changing spectrum of paediatric health issues demands, in the author’s opinion, that general practitioners (GPs and nurses) receive adequate and specialised training to manage these complexities effectively. This article highlights why specialist paediatric care is such a needed area of care, and spotlights two practitioners who are leading the way in providing high quality paediatric care in the community.

01 December 2021

In the treatment of chronic, hard-to-heal wounds, managing destructive chronic wound exudate, removing devitalised tissue and addressing wound biofilm/infection are high priorities (Atkin et al, 2019). To optimise the rate and likelihood of a chronic wound healing, it is important to identify its cause and any factors that may impede the healing process (Wounds UK, 2018). This can only be achieved by undertaking holistic wound assessment followed by effective wound management — having a logical set of actions, or pathways to follow, aids this (Atkin et al, 2019; Box 1). When managing lower limb ulcers, accurate diagnosis is crucial so that they can be categorised as venous, arterial or mixed aetiology. The case study presented here highlights the care pathway of a mixed aetiology leg ulcer, including wound bed preparation.

25 March 2019

Helping to save more lives

21 December 2018

A project in Leeds is improving health outcomes for Gypsies and Travellers. Here, Liz Keat, outreach nurse, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust and Queen’s Nurse, and Ellie Rogers, deputy CEO, Leeds GATE, discuss what they have learnt about primary care nursing and Gypsy/Traveller communities.

12 December 2019

Appropriate and accurate assessment and management of lower limb wounds requires a timely, holistic assessment of the patient and their wound, including the recording of an ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) (Wounds UK, 2019a). A manual ABPI procedure requires advanced skills, using a handheld ABPI device, and is undertaken by a healthcare professional who is appropriately trained. In addition, the procedure is time consuming, taking a minimum of 40 minutes, and is subjective in its results, based on the technique and skill of the operator. This article describes an innovative service evaluation project that has seen the introduction of 20 automated ABPI machines into 19 general practices and a community vascular clinic in Staffordshire. The project has included the development of a care pathway, recruitment of wound champions, and training within each of the practices. Evaluation of the project is ongoing but tracks ABPI readings, assessment and wound management of patients, onward referrals and outcomes for patients, to ensure that the project’s potential to improve patient care is realised.

29 November 2024

Asthma is one of the most prevalent lung conditions in the UK. Around eight in 100 people are diagnosed with it (Asthma + Lung UK, 2024). However, according to the British Thoracic Society (BTS, 2024), asthma affects around 12% of the UK population, with 160,000 people being newly diagnosed each year. This article focuses on the importance of finding the right inhaler to meet patient needs and lifestyle, while exploring the concepts of shared decision-making within respiratory reviews.

17 July 2019

With current pressures in the NHS, it is becoming even more important for general practice nurses (GPNs) to ensure that they deliver the most cost and clinically effective care within GP practices. However, they can feel that they are working in isolation, without the support that might be found from working in a larger organisation, as is demonstrated by the lack of training and professional/ personal development. However, HARTMANN UKI are committed to working with key stakeholders in the NHS, including GPNs, both to improve the standards of wound care and to offer professional and personal development support.

01 March 2021

Migraine is a common debilitating headache condition that affects the quality of life of those affected. Migraine costs the NHS £150 million annually, with GP visits and prescriptions accounting for most of these costs. With access to neurologists and headache specialists limited in the UK, migraine is a condition GPs and general practice nurses (GPNs) are faced with on a daily basis. Therefore, it is vital that GPNs have good knowledge of migraines. They should be able to distinguish between common primary headaches, such as tension-type headaches (TTH), and migraines to avoid misdiagnosis and inform appropriate treatment, as well as to understand when acute or preventative treatments are required. As GPNs are limited in treatments they can provide for migraine, it is important that they recognise when to refer patients to a neurologist. This article explores how nurses within the general practice can effectively manage migraine patients to improve patient quality of life and alleviate pressures on an overstretched healthcare system.

02 October 2017

Ground breaking nurse-led lung cancer project.

A recent independent evaluation of Liverpool’s Healthy Lung programme, undertaken by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Liverpool, found that this nurse-led programme is improving early detection of lung cancer and undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Liverpool’s healthy lung programme was launched in April 2016 by NHS Liverpool clinical commissioning group (CCG), working in partnership with local hospitals, NHS England, Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support as part of the national ACE programme, with the aim of finding and treating as many cases of lung cancer and COPD as possible, and as early as possible.

01 September 2020

This article discusses the assessment and management of vitamin B12 deficiency. The author examines the causes of this condition, such as pernicious anaemia, and the different methods that can be used to manage it, for example vitamin B12 supplements, diet and medication review. Primary care nurses are frequently responsible for ordering blood tests and managing B12 deficiency. However, there is a lack of consistency in the management of the condition, partly because there are a number of different blood tests that can be performed, not all of which are available in every hospital laboratory.