News

Keep up to date with the latest news on nursing in primary care. Updated daily, news will cover policy, clinical guidance, research and education targeted directly at nurses in primary care.

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NHS employs record number of nurses and midwives

Applicants to nursing courses in England have risen by 16%, as a record number of nurses and midwives are employed in the NHS, figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council show

COVID-19: Over 95% of tests return next day

Approximately 97.5% of in person tests for coronavirus are returned the day after the test is taken, statistics released by NHS England have shown

Independent Nurse and British Journal of Nursing launch #SupportingNurses campaign

A new campaign to show appreciation for the heroes and heroines who have been in the front line of the fight against COVID-19 has been launched by the Mark Allen Group, the UK’s leading publisher of nursing content

Increase in use of electronic prescriptions during COVID-19 pandemic

More than 85% of primary care prescriptions in England are now processed electronically, after a rise in use of the service during the coronavirus pandemic

NHS Test and Trace figures ‘not good enough to maintain safety’

The NHS Confederation says that not only are 1 in 4 people transferred to the system not being reached, but, out of those contacted, a quarter of their close contacts are not being reached as well

Safety concerns prevent parents from vaccinating their children, survey finds

The majority (73%) of parents were happy for their children to receive vaccinations during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, just 27% of parents are now comfortable taking their child to a medical centre for vaccinations – down from 91% pre-pandemic

Cystic fibrosis: Patients to be offered 'life-transforming' treatment

A new ‘truly life-transforming’ treatment for cystic fibrosis will be available to patients on the NHS, Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, has announced

Universities to be able to bid for more healthcare course places

More students will have the opportunity to apply for places on nursing, midwifery or allied health professional courses in England, following unprecedented demand, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced

Coronavirus: Access to testing expanded

Six new ‘walk through’ local testing sites with the capacity to test hundreds of people each day are now offering appointments to people in England, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced

Nursing workforce numbers rise by more than 10,000

The number of nurses in the NHS increased by 12,131 compared to last year, and the number of doctors has risen by 6,629, figures published by the NHS Digital show

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Coronavirus: ‘Real risk’ of second wave

The UK must be prepared and equipped to deal with a second wave of COVID-19, an open letter to the BMJ has stated

Coronavirus: New saliva test piloted

A saliva test for COVID-19 is to be piloted in Southampton, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced

UK COVID-19 alert level dropped from four to three after 'steady decrease in cases'

Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, commented on the lowering of the UK’s alert level, said this ‘was a big moment for the country’ and that it reflected ‘a real testament to the British people’s determination to beat this virus’

New voluntary standards of education and practice developed for GPNs

The new standards, published by the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) have been designed to provide a contemporary and structured overview of expected best practice, standards and guidance for nurses at the beginning of the general practice nursing career pathway.

Discrimination a ‘key factor’ behind the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups

There is an association between belonging to some ethnic groups and the likelihood of testing positive and dying with COVID-19, a review by Public Health England has found

Coronavirus: Drug proves ‘life saving’

A widely available drug, dexamethasone, could save the lives of patients critically ill with COVID-19, research has found

Coronavirus: Learning to live with the enemy

Mark Greener looks at why the coronavirus pandemic may prove to be longer lived than previously expected

Coronavirus: local authorities receive funding to support Test and Trace

Local authorities across England have been allocated a share of £300 million to support the new Test and Trace service to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Coronavirus: economic deprivation linked to increased risk of death

‘COVID-19 is not a great leveller - the pandemic is having an unequal impact on our already unequal society. Today’s data show that people living in the most deprived areas of England are more than twice as likely to die as a result of COVID-19 than those in the least deprived,’ said Dr Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive at the Health Foundation.

New study launched to monitor prevalence of COVID-19 in schools

A new voluntary coronavirus (COVID-19) study will assess and monitor the prevalence of the disease among pre-school, primary and secondary school pupils and teachers, Public Health England has announced

‘Greater clarity needed’ on plans to scrap Immigration Health Surcharge

Confirmation that all international health and care staff, and their spouses and dependants, will no longer need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge is being sought by the RCN and other healthcare unions

RCN urges greater take-up of childhood immunisations in the wake of COVID-19

The Royal College of Nursing is encouraging the maintenance of childhood immunisation programmes, in light of research showing that the number MMR vaccinations has fallen this year

Scottish pandemic exercise revealed health services were not prepared for coronavirus

A simulation of a coronavirus outbreak in Scotland in 2018 revealed a ‘clear gap’ in readiness to deal with a pandemic. A Freedom of Information request from the BBC found that ‘Exercise Iris’ highlighted ‘unease’ among staff about the availability of PPE

RCN calls for action on ‘preventable deaths’ of BAME nurses

RCN chief executive Dame Donna Kinnair has called for employers across the NHS to take ‘swift and comprehensive’ action to protect BAME staff