Abstract
As the population ages, there is a pressing need to cost-effectively manage the care of increasing numbers of people with long-term conditions and prevent unnecessary hospitalisation. If we are to meet these needs as efficiently as possible in the future, we need to better understand the potential contribution of nurses working in general practice, and ask what we know about the efficacy and cost benefits of their contribution. In the 10 years since the introduction of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), the reported number of registered nurses employed in GP practices is estimated to have increased by 15%, and stands at 23 833 nurses in the equivalent of 14 943 full-time posts (Figure 1).1 Practice nurses make up over one-third (37%) of the clinicians in general practice. Yet little is known about the ways in which practice nurses are deployed within each practice: their numbers, the mix relative to other practice staff, or level of specialist skills and experience. Although the NHS in England has started to collect and publish more data on the numbers of nursing staff employed by practices1 the information is sparse. The GP workforce census for 2013 included …