Rosalind Eve and Kate Gerrish discuss the opportunities for practice nurses to improve the service given to patients by developing their professional roles.

Rosalind Eve SRN, BA(Hons), Honorary Research Fellow, Sheffield University Director, The Centre for Innovation in Primary Care Sheffield. Kate Gerrish, RGN, NDN Cert, B.Nurs, MSc, PhD Nurse Adviser, The Centre for Innovation in Primary Care, Reader in Nursing Practice Development, University of Sheffield
Article accepted for publication January 2001.