Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,with reference to the consultation entitled Proposals to extend medicines responsibilities for paramedics, physiotherapists, operating department practitioners and diagnostic radiographers published on 5 August 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adding occupational therapists to the list of regulated healthcare professionals under consideration for being given responsibility to prescribe medicines.

The Department welcomes healthcare professionals exploring how they can extend their scope of practice safely and appropriately.

Non-medical prescribing remains a keen area of interest, and departmental officials are carefully considering proposals relating to the medicines responsibilities of a range of healthcare professionals, including those of occupational therapists, as part of a wider programme of work that is underway.