29 March 2023

General practice nursing has adapted and evolved many times in the two decades I have been one. I have developed many new skills in this time and I now practice at a level way
beyond what I would have imagined when I started my nurse training in 1986. I probably wouldn’t have believed you then if you had told me I would be diagnosing, investigating,
prescribing, and referring in the same way my medical colleagues do 37 years later. We were not even able to take blood or give paracetamol in 1986. Times have changed and
continue to change.

01 February 2016

Around 12 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with hypertension (i.e. blood pressure [BP] greater than or
equal to 140/90mmHg) and over five million people have undiagnosed hypertension, which, if left untreated, can lead to premature ill health and death (Blood Pressure Association, 2008).

The risks associated with increasing BP are continuous — with each 2mmHg rise in systolic BP there is a 7% increased risk of mortality from ischaemic heart disease and a 10% increased risk of mortality from stroke (Lewington et al, 2002). However, although BP-lowering strategies have been shown to significantly reduce the risk, population-based studies consistently demonstrate that patients are unaware of the causes and effects of hypertension, and around two-thirds of those diagnosed remain untreated or inadequately controlled (Falaschetti et al, 2009; Antikainen, 2010). This article re-examines the evidence and guidelines to see how we can improve practice within this important area of  cardiovascular disease prevention.
 

15 March 2022

In 2006, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released the landmark guidance on nutrition, ‘Nutrition support in adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition’ (NICE, 2006). At the heart of NICE guidance and quality standards is the aim to integrate research into practice and reduce gaps between recommended and actual practice. However, successful implementation is dependent on national and local action. To facilitate the implementation of the NICE clinical guidance (CG32), a national multidisciplinary expert panel was convened to explore and develop strategies that would overcome barriers to implementation of the NICE guidance, facilitate access to practical tools, and enhance knowledge to improve the management of disease-related malnutrition in the community. The collaborative work undertaken by the panel, in conjunction with major stakeholders, led to the development of the ‘Managing Adult Malnutrition in the Community’ materials. This article reviews the work of both the initial panel in 2012 and subsequent expert panels, that have delivered and continue to develop resources for nurses and the wider multidisciplinary team to assist in tackling malnutrition, which affects up to three million people in the UK at any time (Elia and Russell, 2009), especially that which arises as a consequence of illness and long-term medical conditions having an impact on appetite and the ability to eat and drink.

23 January 2018

18 May 2015

In each issue of the journal we speak to a general practice nurse and hear what they have to say about their role in primary care...

09 July 2015

In each issue we speak to general practice nurses and ask about their role in primary care. Here,Yvonne Lee, integrated nursing team leader, Cerne Abbas Surgery, talks about an integrated nursing team.

22 September 2015

In each issue of the journal we speak to general practice nurses and hear what they have to say about their role in primary care.

Beverley Bostock-Cox, nurse practitioner, Mann Cottage Surgery, Moreton-in-Marsh; education lead, Education for Health

16 November 2015

In each issue of the journal we speak to general practice nurses about their role in primary care. Here, Sarah Anderson and Melissa Canavan talk about why and how they set up the Leeds Respiratory Network.

01 February 2016

In each issue of the journal we speak to general practice nurses and hear what they have to say about their role
in primary care. 

What is a typical day for you?

For the last six months l have been the only general practice nurse (GPN), whereas previously there were two of us. Despite interviews, it has been difficult to recruit anyone and we are now trying to get an advanced practitioner. I find that it now takes just as long for patients to see me, as it does the doctors.

14 March 2016

In each issue of the journal we speak to general practice nurses and hear what they have to say about their role in primary care.