The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7268 p399
27 September 2003

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London pharmacists secure training funds for supplementary prescribing

Thirty-two pharmacists working in London have secured funding from their local Workforce Development Confederation for supplementary prescribing courses which start this month, according to the London pharmacist supplementary prescribing support team.

They include cardiology pharmacists who work in heart failure, transplantation and hypertension clinics, and HIV pharmacists who wish to prescribe antiretroviral and supportive therapy. Other specialist areas of pharmacists doing the training include cancer, mental health, renal medicine, nutrition, anticoagulation and adult intensive care.

This first cohort includes people working in community pharmacy, as well as in hospitals, primary care trusts and the prison service. A further 10 pharmacists are ready to start the next wave of courses in January 2004.

Speaking at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Harrogate last week, Jane Nicholls, leader of the project team, explained that pharmacist supplementary prescribing should allow patients to have quicker and more efficient access to medicines. Reducing the workload of doctors, making the best use of pharmacists’ skills and meeting National Health Service access targets are other benefits that could be highlighted when making a business case for pharmacist supplementary prescribing. Hospitals that use pharmacist prescribers should see a reduction in wasted medicines and greater financial control of drug expenditure. Patients who have access to pharmacist prescribers will have a greater choice of health care provider with higher levels of safety and a better quality of care.

Jatinder Harchowal, secondary care lead for the project team, explained that some trusts are developing non-medical prescribing committees to manage the introduction of supplementary prescribing. They are responsible for advising the trusts on changes in legislation and developing trust-wide frameworks to support and co-ordinate development.

Mr Harchowal outlined some of the remaining challenges to successful implementation of pharmacist prescribing. Relationships would need to be developed between supplementary and independent prescribers. Both the supplementary and independent prescribers will also have to learn to use clinical management plans successfully. It is important that clinical management plans are kept simple, he added. The London pharmacist prescribing team have made examples of clinical management plans which they have written available on Druginfozone (www.druginfozone.nhs.uk).

Ashok Soni, a community pharmacist and professional executive committee member for Lambeth Primary Care Trust, said: “I will be training as a supplementary prescriber because I believe it will improve the patient experience.”

Grainne Goldsmith, a senior pharmacist working in outpatient clinics at Barts and the London NHS Trust, said: “The course will allow me to take responsibility for the treatment decisions I make with patients and it is encouraging for me to have the support of patients, nursing and medical staff in this venture.”