The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7191 p419-425
30 March 2002

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Medicines Commission: minutes (PDF* 35K)

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Introduction of nurse prescribing may be too fast

Concern has been expressed by the Medicines Commission that Government targets for the introduction of independent nurse prescribing may be too ambitious and that the planned training is inadequate.

The commission, whose role is to advise health ministers on matters arising from the Medicines Act 1968, told the Government at the end of last year that independent nurse prescribing should not be rushed in. One particular concern of the commission is that the proposed length of training — 37 days — is inadequate. "It would not be possible for the breadth of detail to be imparted in the time scale suggested," the commission said. It was also sceptical that the necessary teams of trainers could be ready to begin training by February this year and said that national standards for training remained to be agreed.

The commission also warned the Government over its plans to have 10,000 nurses trained to prescribe within three years when no marking standards for training had been agreed and there was no idea of the expected pass rate.

Other concerns recorded by the Medicines Commission include how pharmacists are to know whether individual nurses are authorised to prescribe, how nurse prescriptions are to be added to patient records, the provision of insurance both in the public and private sectors and the provision of continuing education and refresher courses.