The General Practice Nurse Mid-career fellowship 2024-2025
What is the Mid-Career Fellowship Programme?
Applications for the Fellowship are now closed.
The GPN Mid-career fellowship is a pilot programme running between April 2024 and the end of March 2025. The fellowship is open to all registered nurses working within general practice who have been within a practice nurse role for at least two years.
The programme will offer the nurse four hours of paid protected learning time away from clinic each week to undertake work and training linked to a quality improvement project to enhance practice or patient care. This time will be in addition to your substantive role within practice and can be completed at days and times to suit the individual. Although there are some set dates for induction and training, we would like all fellows to attend in the first month of the programme.
The quality improvement projects can be designed to meet the specific needs the individual or practice that nurse has highlighted, or the nurse can be linked to a project already happening in an area of particular interest to the individual.
There are eight fellowships available in total. The programme will offer ongoing support through a facilitator who will support the fellows throughout the programme. There will be specific drop-in sessions each month and the facilitator will offer regular one to ones with the fellow to offer ongoing support as needed.
The beginning of the fellowship also offers several training sessions to equip the nurses on the journey of quality improvement as well as supporting them with individual and professional development through programmes such as the Mazi and Ena programmes.
Programme / Training offer
Training Sessions and Events
Date and Time
GPN Mid-Career Fellowship Welcome Sessions
With Gemma Bird, Programme Facilitator
Wednesday 3 April 2024
9.30am-11am
Introduction to Library Services: Basic Literature Searching
With Sarah Thomas, Primary Care Evidence Support Librarian
Thursday 5 April 2024
9.30-10.15am
Introduction to Research Within Practice
With Sarah Shelton, NIHR CRN Senior Primary Care Research Nurse
Thursday 5 April 2024
11am-12pm
Quality Improvement for Practice Nurses
With Nicola Payne
Thursday 11 April 2024
1pm-4pm
Advanced Database Searching
With Sarah Thomas, Evidence support Librarian
Thursday 18 April 2024
9.30am-11am
Project Management Workshop
With Sarah Chalmers Page
Thursday 18 April 2024
11.30am-1pm
Effective Communication in Dulti-disciplinary Teams
With Sarah Chalmers Page
Thursday 25 April 2024
9.30am-11am
Mazi Programme*
With Nicola Payne
Times and Dates to be arranged individually
Ena Programme**
With Nicola Payne
Times and Dates to be arranged individually
Ongoing Facilitator Support
With Gemma Bird
Monthly Drop-in sessions- MS teams links will be sent to participants.
Individual sessions on offer as required by fellows.
End of project Celebratory Event
Face to Face event, inviting colleagues from across the system to join us to celebrate the work and achievements undertaken by the fellows.
Venue and agenda to be confirmed nearer the time.
Wednesday 26 March 2025
9.30am-4pm
**The delivery of the Ena Programme. This facilitated programme emphasises the power of self-discovery, conflict styles and preferences, and setting personal goals for increased happiness and motivation. Compromising of three two-hour virtual sessions per participant via Zoom with an Enono Associate.
*The face-to-face delivery of the Mazi Programme for up to eight participants. This facilitated programme explores the power of self-discovery, personal triggers, connecting with workplace colleagues and growing healthy workplace cultures. As part of this programme individual Everything DISC workplace assessment profiles.
Application requirements
Nurse Application Requirements
Registered Nurse
Minimum of two years working within general practice
Support and sign off from Manager
Support and Agreement from practice or PCN to undertake some form of quality improvement work, research, or audit as part of the fellowship to enhance patient care.
Ability to commit 4 hours per week for the duration of the fellowship (12 months). Annual leave included.
Four hours per week will be paid at £22.50 per hour (Band 7 equivalent) for the duration of the fellowship to ensure the GPN has the protected paid learning time to undertake the fellowship successfully. An additional 30% oncosts will also be paid to cover any additional costs from employer towards pension and NI etc.
This will be paid via a memorandum of understanding with the nurses’ current employer. The MOU will be paid in one lump sum at the beginning of the Pilot.
Applications for the Fellowship are now closed.
Project ideas / suggestions
As part of the fellowship General practice Nurse fellows will be undertaking a quality improvement project linked with their practice. The project can be at practice, PCN or ICS level. Fellows may already have a project in mind which they would be welcome to apply to this fellowship, those without a specific project will be linked in with current and ongoing quality improvement projects to ensure exposure and opportunity to develop professionally is given. We will try our best to link GPN fellows with projects of particular interest to them. As part of the application process, applicants will be asked to choose 3 main areas of professional interest, to support the facilitator link them in with projects of interest.
Areas to choose from are:
Children and Young People
Immunisations
Respiratory Disease
Diabetes Management
Staff Wellbeing & retention
Leadership
Frailty & ageing well.
Multi co-morbidities
Learning Disabilities
Health inequalities
Any Others. Please provide details.
End point celebration event
An end point celebratory event is to be held on Wednesday 26th March 2025. This event will bring the pilot to a close and give each fellow the opportunity to present their work to colleagues from across Primary Care and the ICB.
Please contact Gemma Bird gemma.bird5@nhs.net for more information.
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