Changing health and social needs and a rapidly ageing population in the UK (Office for National Statistics 2011) mean providers' responses must be dynamic, flexible, sustainable and focused on the delivery of safe, effective care. Longer lifespans mean that illnesses last longer, with conditions such as diabetes, respiratory disease and arthritis having a greater likelihood of co-morbidities (NHS England 2015a). This has significant consequences for services across all areas of health and social care. General practice is well placed to respond to pressures and provide healthcare to those with long- or short-term conditions, in part due to its registered list of patients. The general practice nurse is pivotal to this, but demographics and years of underinvestment in the workforce are likely to see a deficit in the number of skilled workers needed to support this. Therefore, investment in pre-registration nursing programmes is needed to create a highly skilled, effective, sustainable workforce. This article highlights the work of one community education provider network in establishing nursing student placements in general practice.