Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of non-medical prescribing nurses.

The Department and NHS England have successfully extended prescribing responsibilities to a wider group of health professions, including nurses. This is helping the National Health Service to deliver more timely and effective patient care. These professionals are termed ‘non-medical prescribers’, in order to distinguish them from doctors and dentists.

There are two types of non-medical prescriber:

― Independent Prescribers are able to complete whole episodes of care for a patient, taking responsibility from consultation through to diagnosis and finally, if appropriate, prescription.

― Supplementary Prescribers work in conjunction with a doctor to provide patient care. Supplementary Prescribing is a voluntary partnership between an independent prescriber (in this case a doctor) and a supplementary prescriber, to implement a patient-specific clinical management plan, with the patient’s agreement.

To become a non-medical prescriber, nurses must undertake a recognised Nursing and Midwifery Council accredited prescribing course through a United Kingdom university, sponsored by their employer on the basis of service need.

Local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population are therefore responsible for investing in training for nurses’ prescribing roles to deliver the best patient care and meet the changing needs of patients and services.