News Update. News Round-Up Archive Growth in nurse prescribing in England, 22/03/04. ereference

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1 Nurse Prescriber, 1(3), Page 1 of 5, e Cambridge University Press ISSN Archive January 2004 News Round-Up Archive 2004 Growth in nurse prescribing in England, 22/03/04 Over items were prescribed by extended formulary and supplementary nurse prescribers in December 2003, compared with over 5000 in December 2002, according to the March report from the Prescription Pricing Authority on Prescription Volume and Growth [1]. The growth reflects the increasing number of nurses who are qualified to prescribe. Practice nurses are prescribing more items from the extended formulary than Primary Care Trust nurses. There has also been a growth in the volume of nurse prescribing overall, with prescribing from extended formulary/supplementary nurse prescribers representing a small proportion of the total. Prescribing by nurses increased by 12.8% in the year to December 2003 compared with the previous year doi: /s Zinc paste bandages removed from DN/HV list 22/03/04 Some zinc paste bandages, for example Calaband, have been removed from the list of items prescribable by District Nurse/Health Visitor (DN/HV) prescribers (they are no longer in Part IXA of the Drug Tariff). As they are P or GSL medicines, they are, however, prescribable by extended formulary nurse prescribers or by supplementary prescribers. doi: /s Additions to formulary will benefit emergency care nurses 22/03/04 The next batch of additions to the Nurse Prescribers Extended Formulary will be of particular value to nurses who work in first contact and emergency community and acute care settings, according to the Department of Health (DH; see here [1]). A three-month consultation will begin soon, and the DH suggests that advanced nurse practitioners and consultant nurses working in these areas explore the benefits that prescribing could bring to their practice once the formulary is extended doi: /s NPR/NU

2 Page 2 of 5 Range of emergency POM exemptions may be extended 22/03/04 A consultation on proposals to add nerve agent antidotes to the list of prescription-only medicines that can be injected by anyone in any emergency has been issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Department of Health (see here [1]). Article 7 of the POM Order allows the parenteral administration of certain medicines for the purpose of saving lives in an emergency. The proposal is to add pralidoxime chloride and obidoxime chloride to the list of medicines covered by the exemption. In combination with atropine sulphate, which is already listed, these are recognized antidotes to poisoning by organophosphate pesticides and nerve agents. The legislation allows administration of the listed agents by anyone in an emergency, but in practice it would be by ambulance paramedics and other trained staff (not doctors). There is also a proposal to allow the administration of smallpox vaccine in an emergency involving a confirmed or suspected case of smallpox under certain circumstances. Administration would, in practice, be restricted to healthcare professionals. There is a shorter consultation period than normal, and it closes on 26 March, doi: /s List of reclassified medicines The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a list of those products that have been reclassified (POM to P or P to GSL) since April 2002 (and ones reclassified before then with product information requirements over and above the conditions for supply). The list can be found [1] and information about reclassification of medicines and lists of conditions for POM, P or GSL supply of medicines [2]. s doi: /s Research into pharmacists as supplementary prescribers invited 22/03/04 Research proposals examining the role of pharmacists as supplementary prescribers are being invited by the Pharmacy Practice Research Trust, an independent research charity. The grant will cover a maximum budget of including overheads and VAT, and is sponsored by Boots the Chemists (see here [1]) doi: /s Conference announcement: Mental Health Nurse Prescribing Conference 22/03/04 The Doncaster & South Humber Healthcare NHS Trust have announced the programme for their forthcoming conference on Nurse Prescribing within a Mental Health context. The conference will take place in Doncaster on June 11th, 2004 and will include presentations and workshops on a variety of subjects. The conference will offer a vital chance to discuss Nurse Prescribing and the specific concerns of the Mental Health Nurse. doi: /s

3 New PRODIGY guidance issued 10/03/04 Page 3 of 5 PRODIGY has recently issued new full-text guidance on the following topics: balanitis; boils, carbuncles and paronychia; oral candida; insect bites and stings; nappy rash; and palliative care cough, dysnopea and respiratory secretions. It has also updated topics on: emergency contraception; glue ear; headlice; heart failure; pubic lice; roundworm; scabies; threadworm; and transient ischaemic attack. Quick Reference Guides have been issued on: emergency contraception; headlice; headlice treatment failure; molluscum; nappy rash; pubic lice; scabies; scabies treatment failure; threadworm; and warts. doi: /s Welsh supplementary prescribing courses to start in April? 10/03/04 The first supplementary prescribing courses in Wales will start soon, probably in April, according to the Task & Finish Group on Supplementary Prescribing [1]. Five higher education institutes are expected to run the courses, which require 15 days of face to face teaching, significant private study and 12 days learning in practice with a designated supervising medical practitioner doi: /s Outline curriculum underway for AHP supplementary prescribers 10/03/04 The professional bodies for physiotherapists, podiatrists and radiographers, together with higher education institutes and other stakeholders, including the National Prescribing Centre, have been working to develop an outline curriculum framework for supplementary prescribing for these groups, according to Kay East, Chief Health Professions Officer (see here [1]). Public consultation will follow in the Spring doi: /s First pharmacist prescribers registered 10/03/04 Fourteen pharmacists were registered as supplementary prescribers by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in February, according to an article in The Pharmaceutical Journal (28 February, p235). All practise in Scotland. Another group are expected to register in England in April. doi: /s Conference announcement: Nursing in Practice /03/04 The Nursing in Practice 2004 conference for primary care nurses will be held in Edinburgh on 1 April. Further information can be found here [1] edinburgh&title Edinburgh%20-%20International%20 Conference%20Centre%20:%201st%20April% doi: /s

4 Page 4 of 5 DH updates guide for extending independent nurse prescribing 02/03/04 The Department of Health has published the 2nd edition of Extending independent nurse prescribing within the NHS in England A guide for implementation (February 2004). It can be downloaded here [1]. The guide has been prepared to assist organizations to decide which nurses should undertake extended prescribing training. It includes information about training, good practice, funding, the formulary, liability, safety, dispensing, record keeping and NMC requirements PolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID &chk AXisAX) doi: /s Conference announcement: National Practice Nurse Conference 02/03/04 The 21st National Practice Nurse conference will take place on 30 June to 2 July in Winchester. See here [1] doi: /s x Distance learning course approved 02/03/04 An e-learning nurse prescribing course has received Department of Health approval and the first intake is expected in September, according to an article in Nursing Times (3 February, p47). The course has been developed by Emap Healthcare Open Learning in conjunction with the University of Stirling. doi: /s BPC 2004 programme announced 02/03/04 Prescribing will be one of the many subjects discussed at the British Pharmaceutical Conference 2004, the annual conference of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. It will be held in Manchester on September. See here [1] doi: /s Article 12 of POM Order extended 02/03/04 Article 12 of the Prescription Only Medicines Order has been amended to include written instructions by an appropriate practitioner and to specify that where conditions apply to prescriptions by an extended formulary nurse prescriber or a supplementary prescriber, those conditions also apply in relation to their written directions. There has been confusion about whether non-medical prescribers can prescribe using hospital drug charts. The Statutory Instrument containing these changes can be found here [1] doi: /s

5 Conference announcement: Preparing for prescriptive practice What do nurses need to know? A conference titled Preparing for prescriptive practice What do nurses need to know? will be held at the University of Sheffield School of Nursing and Midwifery on Tuesday 27th April, Speakers will include Katherine Bailey, formerly of Yale University School of Nursing, and Steve Hemingway, of the University of Sheffield. Further details are available from Steve Hemingway [1] or you can download the flyer here [2]. s 1. S.J.Hemingway@sheffield.ac.uk 2. doi: /s Page 5 of 5