ANP honours Christine Beasley at conference
November 30, 2009 by admin
The ANP presented an award to Dame Christine Beasley, Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England, for her services to nurse prescribing at its conference in London on November 26. The CNO, making a surprise appearance, said she was “delighted and thrilled” and spoke about how far nurse prescribing had come, a sentiment echoed by Baroness Cumberlege, patron of the ANP, in her opening remarks.
CD prescribing: are changes coming soon?
November 27, 2009 by admin
Earlier this month, ANP patron Baroness Cumberlege asked a parliamentary question about what plans the government has to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act to allow nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers to prescribe from the whole formulary, including controlled drugs. This legislation has been eagerly awaited by many prescribers since the corresponding legislative changes were made by the Department of Health in 2008.
Matt Griffiths, ANP committee member and visiting professor of prescribing and medicines management at the University of Northampton, says that he has written to his MP on the subject and urges others to do the same, pointing out that the delays mean poorer care for patients.
Post-discharge medicines management: NHS should do better
November 27, 2009 by admin
The NHS must do more to prevent harm being caused to patients by prescribed medicines after leaving hospital, according to a report by the new regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Chief executive Cynthia Bower said that a “change of attitude” in the NHS is needed to recognise “how important it is for clinicians to pass the baton smoothly between services…”. Some of the areas highlighted in the report as needing improvement are:
- Information is sometimes patchy and incomplete and not shared quickly enough between GPs and hospitals when a patient moves between services.
- GP patient records are sometimes updated by non-clinical staff.
- Not enough patients being offered medication management discussions with their GP post-discharge.
- Medication incidents or errors are not consistently reported by GPs and Primary Care Trusts are not always monitoring them.
The CQC makes recommendations for each of the areas of concern. It urges all GP practices and trusts to use the results of this study to address any problem areas before registration begins next April.
NPC publishes FAQ list for non-medical prescribing
November 27, 2009 by admin
The National Prescribing Centre (NPC) has published some frequently asked questions and answers about non-medical prescribing on its website. They tackle issues such as the position on controlled drugs (no news as yet on when they necessary changes will be made to allow nurse independent prescribers to prescribe more controlled drugs), using prescription pads in different settings, and what details about a prescriber need to be on the form.
Independent Prescribing: Practical Prescribing
November 27, 2009 by admin
I am undertaking the non-medical prescribing programme and am unclear about unlicensed medicines and off-label prescribing. Can I prescribe an unlicensed medicine or off-label as an independent prescriber?
To read the reponse to this question, click here.
More than 18 000 nurse independent/supplementary prescribers
November 15, 2009 by admin
There are now more than 18 000 nurse independent/supplementary prescribers (V300), according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). There are also nearly 33 000 community practitioner nurse prescribers (V100), more than 1500 nurse independent prescribers (V200) and 150 V150 community practitioner nurse prescribers.
The amount of prescribing done by non-medical prescribers also continues to increase. Recent figures from the NHS Business Services Authority show that in the year to June 2009, nurses prescribed 11.9 million items, a 15.7% increase on the previous year. In the same period, pharmacists prescribed 157,348 items, an increase of 82.1% on the previous year.
Medication safety book published
November 15, 2009 by admin
Medication Safety - An Essential Guide is a new book aimed at all healthcare professionals involved in the management of medicines, is edited by Molly Courtenay and Matt Griffiths, and has a team of well-known contributors. It covers subjects such as calculations, controlled drugs and patient safety, safety in prescribing, dispensing and administering, and ensuring safety through evidence-based medicine. The book is published by CUP and costs £23.99.
Prescribing for Mental Health Related Conditions, London, 30 October 2009
November 15, 2009 by admin
This conference provided an excellent opportunity to discover how mental health nursing is currently seizing the opportunities offered by non-medical prescribing.
It was particularly encouraging to learn about the work being done to meet the physical health requirements of people with mental illness from a public health perspective, as well as developments in prescribing for schizophrenia and the benefits or challenges of new drugs on the horizon.
One interesting debate looked at whether non-medical prescribers in mental health should be restricted to supplementary prescribing for at least a year, as happens in some Trusts, whereas others allow their staff to use their independent prescribing skills from day one, a debate that I am sure that will continue until there is confidence in the ability of practitioners to prescribe safely and within their area of competence.
Lydia Burke gave an excellent overview of the past, present and future of prescribing in the mental health field and updated the audience on the current rather slow progress by the Home Office to amend the legislation to allow the full range of controlled drugs to be prescribed independently, improving patients’ access to their medications. Other sessions included continuing professional development for mental health prescribers (Jennie Bradford), prescribing in memory clinics (Charles Kpodo), and anxiety and depression in the elderly (Dr Jane Garner).
‘Prescribing for Mental Health Related Conditions’, held on 30 October, was organised by the ANP in partnership with Middlesex University, which provided the accommodation free of charge, helping make the conference affordable for participants. It was chaired by Dr June Crown, and attracted a varied audience or nurses and pharmacists from as far away as Scotland. Despite swine flu flooring a few of our speakers, requiring replacements at the eleventh hour, it was a well-evaluated day and the ANP stand attracted a lot of interest and certainly raised the profile of non-medical prescribing.
Jennie Bradford, Non Medical Prescribing Lead, Middlesex University.
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