Nursing in Primary Care
Winner
NHS England and Newcastle GP Services: Nurses On Tour: student-led health roadshows
An innovative placement model was developed in which student nurses would be taken ‘on tour’ in primary care to raise its profile among pre-registration students and demonstrate to primary care practices the benefits of hosting student placements. Groups of student nurses were taken to 10 GP practices and a roadshow ofering health checks for patients was set up. More than 40 students from adult, children’s, mental health and learning disability fields provided health checks to 738 patients, 60% of whom required follow-up by their practice.
Students could see the importance of health promotion and the positive outcomes of their interventions. As a result, similar projects have been developed elsewhere.
Finalists
Health Board: Spirometry diagnostic hubs in primary care
Two spirometry diagnostic hubs were
developed to relieve increased pressure
on secondary care after more than 300
patients with a new suspected
respiratory condition or a confirmed
diagnosis of asthma, bronchiectasis or
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
and worsening symptoms were referred
for testing. In total, 347 risk stratified
patients were reviewed.
Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust: Digital frailty MDT channel
The channel aimed to connect GPs, Age
UK health and social coordinators, case
managers, pharmacists and consultant
geriatricians in a virtual multidisciplinary
team to discuss frail patients and
develop a sustainable care pathway that
improves their overall care and step-
down interface from acute hospitals.
Benefits were reported by its users.
Health Care First: Paediatric nurses in general practice
Two whole-time equivalent paediatric
nurses were recruited to assess sick
children in primary care. By providing
additional capacity, a bespoke service
and access for under-16s, in one month
they managed 500 appointments that
previously would have been conducted
by a GP or advanced care practitioner.
Patient feedback was very positive and
the nurses became integral to the team.
Newham Vicarage Practice: Increasing student nurse placements in primary care
Students were offered a non-assessment
placement in primary care to gain
much-needed exposure to practice
nursing. As a result, more final-year
students are getting 1-2-week elective
placement experience of GP nursing and
many are considering it as a career.
NHS Gloucestershire ICB: Improving health inequalities for those with learning disabilities
To improve uptake of health checks and
vaccinations for people with a learning
disability, video and face-to-face
appointments were offered, along with
home visits. Health-check uptake
improved to 76% in the initiative’s first
year and 100% in its second.
North Staffordshire GP Federation: Staffordshire Trainee Nursing Associate Programme
This initiative aimed to bring together
local general practices and healthcare
providers to integrate trainee nursing
associates into primary care. It involved
apprenticeship levy gifting, placement
facilitation, peer support networking and
bi-monthly clinical supervision. Host
practices reported seeing the value in
the role.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust: Improving primary care access
Healthcare staff were hired and
upskilled, care home staff received
training and support, and new initiatives
were launched to improve health
visiting, sexual health, mental health and older people’s care. Access to services
increased, as did patient satisfaction.
Southport and Formby Health: Sefton training hub: Improving care for mental health patients and those with learning difficulties in primary care
A pathway was designed to introduce
primary care placements for students of
mental health and learning disability
nursing so patients could benefit from
students’ specialist training and students
might be more likely to consider a
career in primary care. Patient–clinician
relationships became stronger as a result.
Spectrum Community Health CIC: Improving outcomes for long-term conditions
A structured plan was created to boost
screening rates for long-term conditions
(LTCs) and the number of LTC clinics
available, reduce wait times, and ensure
all patients with an LTC had a detailed
care plan and experienced improved
outcomes. Improvements were seen
after just three months.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust: West Midlands Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Service
This nurse-led genetic testing and assessment service delivered in primary care aimed to improve identification of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), and ensure patients across the region received equitable and robust cascade screening. In excess of 1,400 new cases of FH were identified.