General practice and nursing leaders spoke out to MPs on the issue of practice nurse pay during a parliamentary event yesterday, agreeing a united approach is needed to close the gap between salaries in primary care and the hospital sector.
Organised by our sister title Nursing in Practice and hosted by Liberal Democrat MP for West Dorset Edward Morello (pictured), the event reiterated findings from a salary survey report that general practice nurses (GPNs) are earning thousands of pounds less than their NHS Agenda for Change counterparts, who mainly work in secondary care.
The gathering of practice managers, GPs and nurse leaders, as well as eight MPs or their representatives heard how around a third of GPNs did not receive a pay rise for 2025/26 and that 32% are looking to quit the profession in the next 12 months, largely because of pay and feeling undervalued.
Report findings also highlighted that only 5% of GPNs are being offered enhanced statutory maternity pay and just 32% benefit from enhanced statutory sick pay.
Addressing the meeting, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) England director Patricia Marquis warned that GPN pay, terms and conditions need to improve to stem the growing numbers thinking of leaving the profession and urged the Government to take action.
She said: ‘The situation is coming to a head and now is the time to make a difference. We need to work together to find solutions.’
Ms Marquis added that nursing needed ‘a seat at the top table’ when it comes to general practice funding to redress the assumptions made by MPs that GPNs have the same pay, terms and conditions as those working in hospitals.
Meanwhile, Mr Morello said he wanted to ensure people ‘the vital role’ of GPNs was understood more widely.
‘I think what we need to make sure that people…understand the vital role that general practice nurses play in our NHS within our GP surgeries, and actually the unfairness that’s within the pay system, and that doesn’t reflect the hard work and the effort and the vital service that they provide.’
He added: ‘We’ll continue to bang the drum for GP nurses.’
The event sparked lively discussion about the need for greater investment in primary care overall and for all groups in general practice to campaign jointly for this and also to work together to overcome the barriers employers face when deciding on staff pay increases.
Kay Keane, chair of the Institute of General Practice Management, said the findings of this report were concerning because ‘general practice nurses are a vital part of the team delivering care to patients every day and we must take seriously any issues that affect recruitment, retention and morale.’
However she also warned: ‘We need to avoid viewing workforce challenges through the lens of a single profession. General practice succeeds because of the collective contribution of many professional groups including nurses, GPs, practice managers, reception and patient services teams, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and others.
‘The future of general practice depends on recognising and valuing the whole multidisciplinary team. We cannot solve workforce challenges by addressing one profession in isolation while overlooking the pressures facing others. Sustainable solutions require professions to work together, speak with a united voice and focus on what is best for patients and the future of general practice as a whole.’
Ms Keane further said that workforce challenges cannot be separated from the wider funding of general practice.
‘If we want to retain skilled professionals, develop services closer to home and deliver on the ambitions for neighbourhood health, we need long term investment in the whole primary care workforce and the infrastructure that supports it.’
Dr Sarah Jacques, co-GP lead for the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK), said: ‘If we can fund the entire team properly, then we can look after all of our team members, and we can have better retention, better sustainability, and we can produce better patient care.
‘I think there needs to be a better understanding of how general practice is actually funded.’
View the full report, General practice nurse pay: A salary survey of the profession 2026.
