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MEDIA RELEASE
1 October 2009
Lessons from extended prescribing rights in the UK
Australia can learn a lot from the prescribing system in the UK, according to Nick Barber,
Professor of Pharmacy at the University of London, writing in the latest edition of Australian
Prescriber.
Professor Barber considers issues around prescribing and access to medicines in the UK, and
whether extending prescribing rights to nurses and pharmacists has eased pressure on the
health system.
In the UK, supplementary (originally called dependent) prescribing rights were introduced in
2003 and were followed by independent prescribing rights in 2006. The new prescribers work as
part of a team with the doctor but they are legally responsible for their own prescribing. They
have access to, and contribute to, the patient's medical records.
Professor Barber talks about importance of relevant training for new prescribers and how
training has been set up in the UK.
“Currently nurses and pharmacists have common training, some of which the pharmacists find
very simple – separate training will probably work better. Some nurses want specific prescribing
skills and resent having to learn a wider curriculum. If Australia widens the range of prescribers,
it can avoid our errors and draw on our experiences of education,” he argues.
“Extending prescribing rights is logical. The burden of knowledge associated with medicines is
vast and expanding, so it makes sense to share the task of prescribing while retaining an
integrated system of care,” he writes.
“Overall, there is a clear rationale to extend prescribing rights. While it needs continued
evaluation, it seems to have improved access to medicines and has been liked by health
professionals,” Professor Barber concludes.
Media enquiries to Katie Butt, NPS Media Adviser, 0419 618 365 or kbutt@nps.org.au
Australian Prescriber is an independent peer-reviewed journal providing critical commentary on therapeutic topics for health
professionals, particularly doctors in general practice. It is published by the National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS), an
independent, not-for-profit organisation for quality use of medicines funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and
Ageing. Australian Prescriber is distributed every two months in hard copy to health professionals, free of charge, and online in full
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