Skip to content

This Site is Intended for Healthcare Professionals Only

Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

RPS publishes new guidance for prescribing practice

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published a new professional guidance for prescribing practice on Monday (June 6) which it says will be "for the benefit of all independent prescribers across the UK".

Based on collaboration with multi-professional stakeholders, the document is a guidance tool for prescribers wanting to expand their prescribing scope of practice.


Commissioned by the Welsh government, the document was developed through an expert group with representatives from many healthcare professions, including from Higher Education institutions, professional bodies, regulatory bodies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NHS Education for Scotland, Health Education and Improvement Wales, and representatives from hospital, community and GP practice.

RPS president Claire Anderson said: “It’s fantastic to see the growth in prescribing, both across the profession and more widely, to improve patient care.

“The guidance provides a structured approach for those wanting to change or expand their scope of prescribing practice.  This recognises that whilst many pharmacist prescribers will be working as generalists, their prescribing training generally has a narrow speciality focus.”

Andrew Evans OBE, chief pharmaceutical officer for Wales, said: “The expanding scope of practice guidance for non-medical prescribers is a very welcome development that Welsh Government has been delighted to support.

“We recognise the need for a structured and supportive approach for prescribers wishing to develop their practice, the guidance also contributes to added assurance in the employment of suitably qualified and competent prescribers. This is vitally important at a time when service developments are demanding more from the non-medical prescriber workforce.

“In Wales, the guidance will support the delivery of the new community pharmacy contractual framework, which includes a community pharmacy national independent prescribing service and I am equally keen to see it supporting service developments right across the UK.”

RPS already hosts and maintains the Competency Framework for all prescribers on behalf of all professional leadership bodies whose members can prescribe. The new guidance, Expanding scope of prescribing practice, is another important document to provide support for professionals who prescribe.

More For You

A woman using a period tracker app

Cambridge University academics have flagged concerns over the safety of period tracker apps

Pic credit: iStock

Users of period tracking apps face privacy, safety risk, say experts

The report said the apps provide a "gold mine" of data for consumer profiling and warn that in the wrong hands it could pose a safety risk

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY academics have flagged concerns over the safety of period tracker apps and warned that the women using them could face privacy and safety risks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patients to get test results via NHS app

An investment of £50m has been made to upgrade the NHS app

Patients to get test results via NHS app

Millions of patients will now be able to access test results and get appointment reminders on their smartphones as the government tries to position the NHS app as the default mode of communication and steer away from traditional methods like letters.

An investment of £50m has been made to upgrade the NHS app and the health service hopes to save £200m over the next three years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health minister assures House of Lords on measures to tackle UK-wide Creon drug shortage

Baroness Merron

Government taking steps to mitigate shortage of cancer drug Creon

Baroness Merron on Monday (9) assured the House of Lords that the government is taking measures to mitigate the shortage of pancreatic cancer drug Creon across the country.

Raising the issue, Baroness Margaret Ritchie wanted to know about the steps being taken by the government to ease the misery of patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Janet Morrison: "Eventual outcome of spending review needs to tackle pharmacy underfunding"

Janet Morrison

Janet Morrison: "Eventual outcome of spending review needs to tackle pharmacy underfunding"

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) chief executive Janet Morrison has welcomed chancellor Rachel Reeves announcement today that day-to-day spending on the NHS will increase by £29bn a year but insisted that it must reflect in securing the future of pharmacy.

Reeves also revealed that the government will be increasing the NHS technology budget by almost 50 per cent, with £10bn of investment to "bring our analogue health system into the digital age, including through the NHS app".

Keep ReadingShow less
Lynsey Cleland named GPhC chief standards officer

Lynsey Cleland

Pic credit: X

Lynsey Cleland named GPhC chief standards officer

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has brought back Lynsey Cleland to lead on a number of important departments in the role of chief standards officer.

Cleland had previously held a number of senior positions at GPhC, including director of Scotland.

Keep ReadingShow less