Extending Nurses’ Prescribing Power

New proposals to extend the prescribing role of nurses will give more patients faster access to the medicines they need and will enable professionals to develop skills and move along the career pathway.

At the moment more than 4,000 extended formulary nurse prescribers can prescribe from a list of 180 medicines for conditions such as dermatitis, conjunctivitis and back pain. Subject to parliamentary approval, this list will be extended to include an additional 60 prescription-only medicines and a further 30 medical conditions in 2005.

Consultations have been undertaken on a range of options for widening nurse prescribing.

Chief Nursing Officer Chris Beasley said: ‘Depending on the outcome of the consultation, a parent who has a child with asthma could take their child to see a nurse prescriber with specialist knowledge in asthma, who could prescribe suitable medication independently; they would not necessarily have to see a doctor. By breaking down the traditional boundaries of the nurses’ role, we are able to ensure that patients have quicker access to the treatment they need.’

Copyright National Association of Theatre Nursing Aug 2005