The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7269 p437
4 October 2003

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UKPPG/College of Mental Health joint position statement on supplementary prescribing (more)

Specialist mental health pharmacists want supplementary prescriber limits

A position statement on supplementary prescribing by pharmacists in mental health has been produced by the United Kingdom Psychiatric Pharmacy Group and the College of Mental Health Pharmacists.

Mental health pharmacists will be able to improve patient care by becoming supplementary prescribers, the document states. However, the organisations have a number of concerns.

The prime concern is that only specialist mental health pharmacists should have the role. The document states that this means demonstrating competence in mental health. Ideally this would be through a postgraduate qualification in mental health.

Other issues raised in the document include the fact that pharmacists must be given time to act as supplementary prescribers, a need to consider the resource implications of supplementary prescribing and a requirement for local policies to be drawn up to define the scope of supplementary prescribers’ work.

The position statement is available here.

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