Health Education England, working across London General Practice Nursing Training Programme 2024/25: Academic, Foundation & Leadership
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General Practice Nursing training programmes are a key area of investment for the NHS England Workforce, Training & Education Directorate. The training support package for nurses on the general practice nurse (GPN) training programmes incorporates Higher Education Institute (HEI) tuition as well as a training grant and a mentoring grant for the employing practice.
The same training support package is available across London to ensure equity of access for any nurse looking to train as a GPN.
Please note that this guide and the offers described within relate to the financial year 2024/25 only and do not provide an indication of offers or funding which may or may not be provided in subsequent years.
There are two types of training programme for those new to general practice nursing: Foundation programmes and Academic programmes. The Foundation and Academic programmes offer a choice between short, skills-based training and a longer, academically focussed programme.
Foundation programmes are available at five HEIs in London. The programmes vary from HEI to HEI (Level 6/7, 20-60 credits) and last between three and eight months. Foundation programmes broadly offer ‘start up’ skills-based training for newly qualified nurses (NQNs) and/or nurses new to employment in General Practice. By the end of the programme the GPN will have gained various skills including cervical sampling, childhood immunisations and travel vaccinations and will be ready to work autonomously as part of the General Practice team. Please see the programme descriptions later in this document for more detail on the curriculum of each course.
Please note we will also fund Nursing Associates (NAs) on the Level 6 foundation course at specific universities. These programmes have been adapted to support new to general practice NAs to acquire the basic knowledge skills and competencies required for their role in the general practice setting and to understand the scope and professional requirements of this.
Academic programmes (Level 6/7, 120 credits) are available at three HEIs in London and offer an academic qualification in General Practice nursing. The programmes can be undertaken either part-time over two years or full-time in one year. The latter offers a ‘fast track’ progression in General Practice Nursing suited to newly qualified nurses looking to establish a career in General Practice. At the end of the programme, the GPN will have achieved a Primary Care (Practice Nursing) BSc/PgDip, meet Level 6/7 competencies and be working autonomously as part of the General Practice team. Please see the programme descriptions later in this document for more detail on the curriculum of each course.
Health Education England, working across London General Practice Nursing Training Programme 2024/25: Academic, Foundation & Leadership
Click to view the full information pack
Academic Programme Package
Any new GPN can access an academic GPN programme run by one of three providers. 75 places are available pan London on a first come first served basis at:
We would anticipate that each Training Hub considers investing at some level in the academic programme. This supports the succession of GPN leaders across London.
The three components of the academic package – the tuition fees, training grant and mentoring costs – are funded in full by NHS England. Tuition is paid direct to the HEI and access to the training grant and mentoring funding is via the ICS Facing Training Hub.
Table 1: Academic programme funding package
NHS England activity | Costs of academic programme per GPN | Administered by
|
Tuition fees
|
£7,000 – £10,000* | NHS England to HEI |
Training grant | £17,000 | NHS England to practices via ICS Facing Training Hubs |
Mentoring cost
|
£3,000 | NHS England to practices via ICS Facing Training Hubs |
Total
|
£27,000 – £30,000* | N/A |
*Tuition fees vary across HEIs