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Nurses to prescribe antibiotics for the first time

Health Secretary Alan Milburn today gave the green light to extending the prescribing responsibilities of thousands of nurses from April this year.

The extension in the number and type of medicines nurses will be allowed to prescribe for patients - including for the first time 9 oral antibiotics - aims to benefit thousands of patients across the country.

£10 million has been allocated to help train 10,000 nurses to prescribe from the extended list by 2004. Once nurses have completed a comprehensive training programme, they will be able to treat a wider range of medical problems, including minor ailments and injuries.

Alan Milburn said:

"Extending the list of treatments a nurse can prescribe is another important step along the road of expanding the roles and responsibilities of front line staff.

"Once the nurses are trained they will be able to prescribe a broad range of medicines including, for the first time, a range of antibiotics. This is a step that will benefit patients, make better use of the skills of nurses, and help reduce the burden on GPs."

Sarah Mullally, Chief Nursing Officer added:

"Over the last few years, nurses and health visitors have demonstrated that they are safe, careful and professional prescribers. Monitoring has shown that their prescribing has largely substituted for GPs' prescribing and early research also tells us that patients believe they benefit from their nurse's prescribing.

"It is time to look ahead, and make further changes to traditional prescribing roles that will benefit patients in a patient-centred NHS."

The changes follow the recommendations of the Review of Prescribing, Supply and Administration of Medicines and the NHS Plan. Training for these nurses has already begun in several Universities - including at Canterbury Christchurch, Staffordshire and Teesside.