The QNI has published a survey – commissioned by NHS England – of nurses working in General Practice; it was carried out during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.
There were 3177 respondents to the survey (3157 from English regions). The main findings of the survey are below:
- 71% of respondents to the survey had moved largely or entirely to giving consultations remotely, by phone or video link.
- 65% of all respondents said they had the necessary equipment to do this – 14% said they did not, with the remainder saying the question was not applicable. Sentiment analysis of the comments was overall negative about access to new technology.
- 78% said they felt supported by their employer during the pandemic; however only 34% said they felt supported by their colleagues, which merits further investigation as there are various possible explanations for this.
- 82% said their hours of work were unchanged.
There were concerns expressed about the following areas:
- Lack of personal protective equipment or confusion about messaging.
- Lack of sick leave when they needed to self-isolate.
- Pay and conditions – a lack of consistency when compared to Agenda for Change scales used in the NHS.
- Lack of recognition and feeling undervalued in relation to their significant knowledge and skills.
The full survey is available to download above.
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