Guidance

Prescribing powers proposed for physiotherapists and podiatrists

Proposed new prescribing powers for advanced practitioner physiotherapists and podiatrists have been announced today.

From:
Department of Health and Social Care
Published
24 July 2012

Documents

Read Summary of Public Consultation on Proposals to Introduce Independent Prescribing by Physiotherapists

PDF, 540 KB, 53 pages

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Read Summary of Public Consultation on Proposals to Introduce Independent Prescribing by Podiatrists

PDF, 512 KB, 55 pages

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Read Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Proposals to Introduce Independent Prescribing by Physiotherapists and Podiatrists

PDF, 199 KB, 16 pages

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Details

Ministers have announced their agreement to lay amendments to medicines legislation before Parliament that would enable independent prescribing responsibilities to be extended to appropriately qualified physiotherapists.

Physiotherapists and podiatrists in the UK would be the first in the world to be able to independently prescribe medicines where clinically appropriate.

Appropriately qualified and annotated physiotherapists and podiatrists will be able to prescribe any licensed medicine provided it falls within their individual area of competence and respective scopes of practice, which are defined as follows:

  • a physiotherapist independent prescriber may prescribe any licensed medication within national and local guidelines for any condition within their area ofexpertise and competence within the overarching framework of human movement, performance and function
  • a podiatrist independent prescriber can prescribe only those medicines which are relevant to the treatment of disorders affecting the foot, ankle and associated structures, in line with current practice and consistent with published professional guidance.
Published 24 July 2012