Like many new ideas within the NHS, success relies heavily on a mixture of collaboration, grit determination and timing. This was very much the case with the Somerset dietetic-led gastroenterology clinic, which was established in 2012.
Why is there a lack of male nurses entering general practice nursing? I believe that the answer lies in a lack of understanding of the job role and clinical area.
The adrenaline rush and exciting demands of other clinical areas, such as A+E, ITU and trauma/ orthopaedics, attract many male nurses. The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI, 2015) recognised this by identifying that only 2% of the current general practice nurse (GPN) workforce is made up of male practitioners, thus severely under-representing the male nurse workforce.
One in two people born after 1960 will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime (Cancer Research UK, 2018a). But, four in 10 cancers can be prevented (Cancer Research UK, 2018b), and, for some of the most common cancers survival at one year is more than double when diagnosed at its earliest stage compared to the latest stage (Office for National Statistics [ONS], 2016).
Success!