Updated: 15/04/2005

Expansion of non-medical prescribing: changes to regulations announced

There has been a flurry of regulatory and legislative amendments to extend non-medical prescribing, making the following changes:

• the Nurse Prescribers’ Extended Formulary (NPEF) has been enlarged;
• supplementary prescribers will be able to prescribe controlled drugs in primary care from 14 April;
• nurse and pharmacist supplementary prescribers will be able to prescribe unlicensed medicines;
• physiotherapists, chiropodists/podiatrists and radiographers will all be able to train as supplementary prescribers;
• the range of medicines which can be supplied or administered by registered ophthalmic opticians has been altered;
• the use of electronic signatures on prescriptions is now allowed.

The changes affecting supplementary prescribing are outlined on the Department of Health (DH) website here . Other relevant areas of the DH website had not been updated at the time of writing. Some of the changes have been made by Statutory Instrument (see here for SIs and here; and here for explanatory notes:  and here) and in new GMS/PMS regulations (here and here). The changes are also discussed here.

Changes to the NPEF

These follow the consultation last year on extending the NPEF (see here for news item and links). Many of the proposed additions (see the SI for details) are included in the new POM order, with the exception of antibiotics. The May Drug Tariff should include the new changes but the DH website had not been updated at the time of writing.

Prescribing of controlled drugs by supplementary prescribers in primary care

Following the change in regulations to allow supplementary prescribing of controlled drugs (see here for news item), changes to NHS regulations were needed to extend this to primary care. The changes to the GMS/PMS regulations which will allow supplementary prescribers in primary care to prescribe all controlled drugs except Schedule 1 drugs will come into effect on 14 April (see DH site here and GMS/PMS regulations here and introduction here).

Prescribing of unlicensed medicines by supplementary prescribers

Supplementary prescribers will be able to prescribe unlicensed medicines from 14 April (see DH site here; GMS/PMS regulations here and introduction here; and SI explanatory note here). This follows the announcement last year (see news item here).

Other professions and prescribing
 
Physiotherapists, chiropodists/podiatrists and radiographers will all be able to train as supplementary prescribers (see here for explanatory note) following the consultation last year (see news item here).

The DH says that similar legislative changes have been made for optometrists but further changes to regulations are needed and are scheduled for the summer. There are regulatory changes to the list of POMs which they can supply, sell or write an order for (see SI here).

Electronic signatures

This SI (see here) allows the use of advanced electronic signatures, which will enable the electronic transmission of prescriptions and changes have also been made to GMS/PMS regulations (see here and here).
 

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