NHS Wales Chief highlights recommendations for non-medical prescribing

23/06/2010

A report making recommendations to health boards on the development of non-medical prescribing in Wales has been issued to health board chief executive officers.

The report provides a summary of the activities and key recommendations made at a National Conference held earlier this year which was jointly organised by National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare (NLIAH), the Royal College of Nursing in Wales (RCN) and the Welsh Directorate of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB).

The event was designed to increase understanding of non-medical prescribing (NMP) and provide an opportunity to agree how NHS Wales should develop and capitalise on the expertise of pharmacist and nurse prescribers that already exists within each health board area.

At the event, the NHS Wales Chief Executive, Mr Paul Williams, confirmed the commitment of the Welsh Assembly Government to developing non-medical prescribing in Wales and called for NHS Wales to grasp all opportunities to utilise the skills of non-medical prescribers.

In a recent letter to health boards Mr Williams recommended that NHS Wales takes steps to examine local developments in non-medical prescribing to understand where this can be best incorporated into strategic plans for improving health service delivery in Wales.

Commenting on the publication of the report Mr Paul Gimson, RPSGB Director for Wales, said:

“I welcome the endorsement of this report by Mr Williams and feel confident that the recommendations made in the report will encourage better use of the skills of pharmacists. As the professional leadership body for pharmacy in Wales, we look forward to working collaboratively with health boards to move this service improvement agenda forward”.

Associate Director (Employment Relations) RCN Wales, Richard Jones, said:

“This report represents the views of nurse prescribers across Wales who have called for increased support to develop roles that meet patient need in safe and efficient ways. RCN Wales entrusts health boards to embrace and act upon the report’s recommendations.”