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Practice nurse workload before and after the introduction of the 1990 contract for general practitioners
1East Anglia Faculty, Royal College of General Practitioners, Stamford, Lincolnshire.
Background:
A study of practice nurse workload in 1989 by the East Anglian reporting system revealed that nurses were undertaking a wide range of activities, with 12% of nursing time being spent on administration. The 1990 contract for general practitioners emphasized the role of general practice in health promotion.
Aim:
The 1989 study was repeated by the East Anglian reporting system in 1992 to investigate changes in practice nurse workload.
Method:
Nurses in 22 practices recorded all the procedures they performed and their duration, over a two week period.
Results:
The number of practice nurses in each practice had increased from 0.7 full time equivalents in 1989 to 1.2 in 1992. The proportion of time spent on administration had increased to 19%. The number of different procedures performed by practice nurses had risen from 36 in 1989 to 54 in 1992, with most new activity in well person and new patient clinics.
Conclusion:
Changes have taken place in the volume and range of work undertaken by practice nurses. There is potential for practice nurses to use the results both for negotiation and for education.