Across the NHS and social care sector in Dorset, nurses have diverse and valuable roles which are supporting people and communities to stay well. With the South West being highlighted as the best part of England in which to be an NHS nurse in a recent national staff survey, Dorset has much to celebrate about. 

 In general practice, the most recent appointment data for Dorset from March 2024 shows that of the total 432,000 patient appointments, more than half of these were with nurses and other healthcare colleagues. This shows the significance of having multi skilled teams in general practice.  

Sunday 12 May 2024 is International Nurses Day, a time to celebrate our nurses and show thanks. Dr Forbes Watson, local GP and Chair of the Dorset General Practice Alliance said,

“The Alliance would like to show appreciation and gratitude to the incredible nurses working in general practice on International Nurses Day.

“In the face of unprecedented challenges such the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have demonstrated remarkable resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to their patients.

“The fact that more appointments are being delivered every month compared to before the pandemic is down to the hard work of our general practice teams and important roles in these teams such as nurses.

“Thank you to our nurses, we acknowledge the dedication, compassion, and expertise that you bring to your profession.” 

NHS Dorset offer a Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship which offers people the chance to study for a qualification allowing them to before a registered nurse.  

 Lucy Compiani, Professional Nurse Advocate and Practice Education lead at NHS Dorset said,

“The Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship is a fantastic route into nursing for people who currently work in health and care or for those who are wanting a different route into a career where they can truly make a difference and earn whilst they study.  

We are delighted to have supported 335 apprentices onto this nursing degree programme across Dorset since 2018, with our first cohort of Primary Care RNDAs qualifying in May 2024.”

People can find out more about the nursing apprenticeship programme at https://joinourdorset.nhs.uk/rnda/.