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January 2002

By the end of this year, nurses and pharmacists will be undertaking supplementary prescribing, if all goes to the government’s plan (see article).

The government-commissioned National Prescribing Centre study reached the same conclusion as many of the medical and nursing bodies consulted: that CMPs must be quick and simple to complete if supplementary prescribing is to take off. To this end, standard templates have been provided and the government has said that CMPs can refer to protocols or guidelines. Even those who were enthusiastic about the idea of supplementary prescribing were concerned about the paperwork – let us know what you think about how the system could work in practice using the forum.

Health Minister John Hutton recently suggested that legislation allowing nurses to prescribe controlled drugs could be on the way. He also announced that he has asked the Committee on the Safety of Medicines to look again at some of the medicines that were previously the subject of consultation to see if any of them can now be added to the extended formulary for independent nurse prescribers (see article). It is therefore possible – although by no means certain – that the formulary will be expanded further, as experience and confidence in the system grows.

If this happens, will there be a shift from supplementary to independent prescribing, particularly by nurses qualified to do both, as the formulary lengthens? On the other hand, nurses may prefer to continue using established PGD systems - for vaccinations for example – rather than switch to independent prescribing. It will be interesting to see how supplementary prescribing fits in between independent prescribing and PGDs: could it be squeezed from both sides?

In specialist areas, the nurse supplementary prescriber could well have a greater subject knowledge than the doctor in the prescribing partnership. Nurses working in these areas may have been disappointed that only doctors will be able to train as independent prescribers.

Supplementary prescribing may help reduce drug errors, according to a recent report (see Journals Watch article), as doctors will be forced to document their decisions more comprehensively and nurses will be prescribing within their clinical specialties. It is also possible that the process of conferring over the CMP itself could reduce the potential for drug errors.

Let us know what you think of the supplementary plans and how they will work in practice using the forum.

Other recent additions to the site cover:

• A report of a small study concluding that the continuing professional development needs of nurse prescribers are not being met (link to research piece).

• Useful information resources and how to get them: the NPEF online (link to Online Drug Tariff article) and MIMs for nurses prescribing formulary (link to MIMs for nurses article).

• Fourth NICE guideline on diabetes (link to NICE article).

• Vaginal thrush (link to article).

Do let us know what you think of the site, what you would like to see covered (feedback) and use the forum to contact other nurse prescribers with questions or comments.
 

Happy New Year!
 

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