General practice nursing will be excluded from the government’s commitment to fund Level 7 apprenticeships, it was announced last week.
NHS England said that funding would be continued to 2029 for five apprenticeships at Master’s level that ‘have been identified as being vital for the delivery of the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan’ and to align with the future workforce plan, ‘including the move from acute to community’.
The five apprenticeships to continue are:
- Advanced clinical practitioner
- Specialist community public health nurse
- District nurse (Community Specialist Practice Qualification)
- Clinical associate in psychology (CAP)
- Population health intelligence specialists (PHIS).
In May, the government revealed plans, in effect from January 2026, to ‘refocus’ funding for Level 7 apprenticeships away from people aged 22 and older towards those aged 16 to 21 and existing apprentices, ‘where it can have the greatest impact’.
Community nursing specialisms that are currently funded, but that are not included in the new announcement include:
- General practice nursing
- Adult social care nursing
- Community children’s nursing
- Community mental health nursing
- Inclusion health nursing
- Health and justice nursing
- Community learning disability nursing
- Palliative and end-of-life care nursing
Commenting on the new announcement, the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing’s (QICN) chief executive Steph Lawrence said it was ‘regrettable’ that Level 7 apprenticeships for other SPQ routes would not continue to be funded.
She said: ‘While we are obviously very glad to see district nursing on this list, it is regrettable that other essential SPQs are not included. Higher education institutions offer apprenticeship courses for a number of other specialisms e.g. community children’s nursing, general practice nursing, but without continued funding these routes will be cut off to nurses from next year.’
Last December, a survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) revealed that more than a quarter of general practice nurses (GPNs) across the UK were considering leaving their role within the next 12 months.
Concerns about pay and feeling ‘undervalued’ were cited as the reason GPNs and other nursing staff wanted to walk away from the sector.
The RCN warned that the risk of nurses leaving practices would ‘hinder patient care’ and worsen pressures on the NHS. And in May, the RCN said the decision to remove Level 7 funding would shut off an important career route for nursing staff.
A briefing statement on the new funding announcement said that NHSE and the Department of Health and Social Care aim to ‘sustain the opportunities for health and care staff to progress their clinical careers’ and ‘support the wider apprenticeship agenda in health and care’.
The funding for eligible professions will be distributed through the Education and Training Activity Programme (ETAP) as a training grant.
In July, the government said it expects GP practices to pass on a 4% pay rise for general practice staff and other employed staff in England for 2025/26.
Earlier this month, NHS England confirmed the global sum for GP practices in England has been increased from £121.79 to £123.34 per patient to implement the 4% staff pay rise recommended by the pay review body.
A Management in Practice survey last autumn found that half of general practice nursing staff had not received a pay rise for 2024/25. Of those who had received an uplift, only around one in six (16%) were awarded the 6% recommended by the government in England.
And at the end of May, it was revealed that practice managers are pushing the government for a dedicated funding pot that will ensure general practice nurses and other staff receive pay rises equivalent to their NHS counterparts.
A special General practice nurse pay: A salary survey of the profession 2025 report – produced with our sister title Nursing in Practice in April – revealed that the average salary of a full-time (or full-time equivalent) GPN working in the UK is only £35,057 and lags behind those working in NHS hospitals.
Last month, Management in Practice reported that Lincolnshire has set up an apprenticeship scheme for practice managers to stave off a recruitment crisis and stem an ‘exodus of managers’.
A version of this story first appeared on our sister title Nursing in Practice.
