Primary Care
Nurses (GPN)
Practice nurses work in GP surgeries where they plan, provide care, treatment and health education to patients of all ages.
What's happening
Resources
Guidance and Governing Body
GPN Competency Framework
The professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates.
View it online and download on the NMC website.
NMC Code of Conduct
This competency framework addresses the common core competencies and the wider range of skills, knowledge and behaviours a nurse needs, to be a fully proficient General Practice Nurse (GPN).
It is important to recognise that these competencies may take time to fully develop and consolidate, progress will vary according to working context and the individual.
Find the Framework and further information on the RCGP website.
Primary Care and General Practice Nursing Career and Core Capabilities Framework
The role of general practice nurses has evolved to meet changes in both service demand and clinical care. To support these evolving roles, two Frameworks have been developed in partnership with Skills for Health and commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement, as part of the General Practice Nursing Ten Point Plan to develop confidence, capability and capacity for general practice nurses.
Download the Primary Care and General Practice Nursing Career and Core Capabilities Framework from the Skills for Health website.
QNI: Standards of Education and Practice for Nurses New to General Practice Nursing
Core Career and Capabilities Framework- Guidance, standards & resources across clinical areas
There are now 5 published resources that align with the general practice and primary care core career and capabilities framework across scope of practice published via skills for health below.
Toolkits
Consultation Skills
New resource alert!
Welcome to the new home of Teaching and Learning Consultation Skills (TALC Skills) and Healthy English: www.consultationskills.com.
TALC Skills covers all aspects of consulting with a patient, whether you are a GP or another healthcare professional, and aims to make consultations more enjoyable and more efficient.
These valuable free resources can be used independently by anyone who wants to learn or improve their consultation skills – or by educators. TALC Skills is an RCGP award-winner and its popular podcast has already received more than 28,000 downloads.
Healthy English has been developed to help everyone who works with patients become a better user of English. It addresses the language and communication needs of international health and care staff, their trainers and colleagues working in the UK.
Access to both of these resources is free of charge to NHS people and organisations.
Sign up and join hundreds of other colleagues across the country who are using this trending new resource.
Excellence in Continence Care (NHSE)
FENO Toolkit
Link to FeNo toolkit:
Link to FeNO modules:
Group clinic Model supporting system change
The Group clinic Model supporting system change briefing paper. The QNI have over 700 practices average population size 10- 12k patients in England using the model.
Managing Diabetes in Primary Care Resource
NHS LSC GPN Resource book
RightCare Asthma and Pneumonia
The Asthma and Pneumonia toolkits reflect the priorities in respiratory care including identification of risk factors, prevention, detection and diagnosis, medicines optimisation and reducing inappropriate secondary care admissions. They will support Respiratory Clinical Networks and clinical services to understand their priorities to improve patient care and outcomes.
RightCare Pathway: Diabetes
RightCare Pathway: COPD
Student hub
This is a hub for student nurses, midwives and trainee nursing associate (TNA), designed in collaboration with students to help support you in your studies and journey into your healthcare career. Take a look around the hub to find out more about Health Education England (HEE) and what resources are available to help support and advise you.
Further Updates
End of Life Diabetes Guidance and Case Study
Please find below some resources from our Nurse’s Clinical Supervision session
- End of Life Care and dignity a case study
- End of Life Diabetes Guidance
- GP clinical supervision presentation
NHS Knowledge and Library Services
NHS Knowledge and Library Services has produced a quick reference guide for nurses and midwives, in the community and in GP practice teams. There is support for nurses right through their career, offering support to develop, stay up to date, make decisions and give patients the best care possible.
Resources to support reduction in DKA at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes
The tool was developed by a group including representation from diabetes professionals and GPs around England and Wales. Feedback was obtained from diabetes professionals, GPs/APNPs, and the Primary Care Diabetes Society before producing the final version.
Links:
Respiratory Resources
Venepuncture Aseptic Non Touch Technique Updates
Venepuncture Aseptic Non Touch Technique Updates
Cardiac Resources
Cardiac Resources
NHS England Workforce Training & Education training guides and directories
Cancer
Primary Care Cancer Toolkit
Ovarian Cancer Awareness
One of the actions from the ovarian awareness campaign was for registered charity Ovacome to provide training to district nurses. The aim of this was to support nurses having conversations during cervical screening appointments, that the screening does not test for ovarian cancer. (This was a common misconception throughout the campaign).
Learn more about ovarian cancer in the video below:
RCGP’s Women’s Health Library
RCGP’s Women’s Health Library
National Women's Health Network - Futures
Gynaecology: Specialty 'Advice and Guidance' toolkit
there is a free Advice & Guidance Gynaecology toolkit for clinicians.
Gynaecology: Specialty ‘Advice and Guidance’ toolkit – Getting It Right First Time – Futures
Women’s Health Workforce Programme – Skills Framework
NHS England is developing new skills frameworks as part of the Women’s Health Workforce Programme. You can register to review and provide feedback on the draft framework as it becomes available. Please keep an eye out for the official launch and opportunities to get involved via Skills for Health.
Digital Health App
Library
Digital Health App Library
Click on link below for latest updates and PowerPoint presentation from the Infection Control Team – January 2026:
Safeguarding Resources
Safeguarding Resources
Lancashire Safeguarding Partnership Training
Adult Safeguarding – Making Appropriate Referrals
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Practice Week
County Lines Awareness Session – delivered by NCLCC/NWROCU
Fire Risk in the Home – Awareness Session for Professionals
Mental Capacity workshop (as part of a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR)
Multi-Agency Lunch and Learn Session
Non Fatal Strangulation and Suffocation
Responding to CSA for education settings
SAB Briefing Session – All About Advocacy 06.05.26
SAB Briefing Session – All About Advocacy 11.11.26
SAB Briefing Session – All About Advocacy 12.08.26
Safeguarding Data Sharing Agreement for Pan-Lancashire partners- Children & Adults
Train the Trainer session: Serious Youth Violence (SYV) multi-agency training
Understanding Radicalisation and Extremism
Young People and Gambling Harm Professionals Training
Skills for Health Resources
Diabetes
Diabetes Educational Resources for General Practice and Primary Care Nurses
it is vital that GPNs are up to date with information on diabetes and work with patients to maximise their health with health education and promotion.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where by the pancreas does not produce insulin and the treatment is always insulin. Multiple daily insulin injections are used by many but the used of insulin pumps and hybrid closed loop systems are increasing.
• Type 2 diabetes occurs due to insulin resistance and the insulin produced by the pancreas doesn’t work effectively. Over time insufficient insulin production may also occur. Type 2 diabetes accounts for around 10% of the annual NHS budget.
• Gestational diabetes (GDM) occurs during pregnancy and increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes after pregnancy. Women with previous GDM should have annual HbA1c surveillance.
• Type 3c, MODY and Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) are less common types of diabetes but may still be seen in general practice.
Heart Failure
Heart Failure Core Career and Capability Framework
Heart failure is the destination condition of most cardiovascular diseases.
An estimated 1 million people are living with heart failure in the UK. There are 200,000 new diagnoses each year with an estimated 400,000 cases currently undetected in UK.
80% of Heart Failure first diagnoses as made as emergency admissions to hospital, with several patients visiting their GPs with symptoms in the months before admission.
Menopause
Menopause Educational Resources for General Practice nurses
The menopause usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen earlier for reasons such as surgery to remove the ovaries or the uterus, or because of cancer treatments like chemotherapy.
Although each person will experience the menopause in a different way, three out of four people going through the menopause will experience symptoms, and for one in four, these will be severe and impact their day-to-day life.
Symptoms can last for several years and can include anxiety, low mood, hot flushes, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and insomnia.
Wound Care
Wound Care Educational Resources for Community and Primary Care Nurses
Wound care should not be viewed as a separate clinical issue but as an integral part of the holistic assessment, including optimisation of long-term conditions which cause or contribute to wounding and delayed/non-healing.
Failure to diagnose wound type, leads to potential delays in providing patients with appropriate evidence-based treatment pathways, which could result in delayed/non healing and/or secondary complications.
Asthma
Although some asthma attacks come on without warning, many build up slowly, over hours to days. This means that there is often a window of opportunity to treat them in primary care before symptoms escalate into an emergency.
Patients must be educated to understand their triggers and
how they can avoid or manage them.
Patients must know the signs of worsening asthma so they can get early help.
Cancer Care
Cancer Educational Resources for General Practice and Primary Care Nurses
The NHS ambition in the Long -Term Plan is to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage I or II by 2028. Earlier diagnosis means cancers are easier to treat and result in better patient outcomes.
There are increasing numbers of people living with cancer in the United Kingdom due to increased survival and an ageing population.
There are 393,000 new cancer diagnosis each year, this is expected to be 500,000 annually by 2040.
Minor Illness Core Capability and Career Framework
Minor illness Core Career and Capability Framework
This accounts for a significant proportion of primary care presentations. Conditions such as coughs, colds, sore throats, ear infections, mild gastrointestinal issues, and skin complaints are among the most common reasons people seek primary care support.
An estimated 20–40% of GP consultations are related to minor illness. Many of these conditions are self-limiting and could be safely managed at home with appropriate self-care advice. However, minor illness still contributes to unnecessary demand on general practice and emergency departments, with millions of potentially avoidable appointments each year.
THE DETAILS
General Practice Nursing Explained
GENERAL PRACTICE NURSING DEPARTMENT
Meet Our Team
Corrie Llewellyn
Clinical Quality, Assurance & Governance Lead
Lead for Clinical Training
Nicola Albanese
Project Manager supporting the Clinical Strategic Lead
Rhianna Whitaker
Administrator
Kay Turner
Project Coordinator