Physios Can Now Prescribe Drugs Without A Doctor's Signature, UK

Date: Jul-31-2012UK physiotherapists have recently won the battle to be able to prescribe drugs without needing a doctor's signature - a decision which patients will benefit greatly from.

Professional adviser Pip White and CSP Chief Executive Phil Gray comment on the Department of Health's historic decision, which was announced by Earl Howe, the Department of Health's under secretary for quality, who pointed out that the decision is a great benefit for patients, due to the fact that this allows them to gain faster access to painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicines.

Earl Howe said:

"Physiotherapists are highly trained clinicians who play a vital role in ensuring patients receive integrated care that helps them recover after treatment or to manage a long-term condition successfully. By introducing these changes, we aim to make the best use of their skills and allow patients to benefit from a faster and more effective service."

He continued stating that appropriately trained physiotherapists in the UK will be the first physiotherapists worldwide to be independently able to prescribe medicines when there is a clinical need.

The decision has been made following a decade of CSP campaigns. Aside from being able to treat chronic pain, specially trained UK physiotherapists will also in future be able to provide treatments for conditions, such as asthma, rheumatological conditions, neurological disorders and women's health issues.

CSP chair Dr Helena Johnson said: "The move to full independent prescribing responsibilities marks a landmark decision in healthcare provision. Giving physiotherapists the right to prescribe independently will hugely improve the care we can provide to our patients."

She continued that the decision would decrease the amount of bureaucracy, saying: "It will reduce an unnecessary burden on doctors who have, until now, had to counter-sign prescriptions drawn up by physiotherapists who are already supplementary prescribers."

Physiotherapists were allowed to be supplementary prescribers since 2005.

Supplementary prescriber Julie Read, a physiotherapist working with a community-based respiratory team in Southwest London stated: "It will mean things will get sorted out more quickly for patients."

Andrew McEwan, supplementary prescribing course leader at Leeds Metropolitan University agreed, adding: "Physiotherapists who become independent prescribers will feel a real sense of professional achievement."

The changes are also a breakthrough for podiatrists, who will enjoy similar new prescribing powers. Once the medicines legislation has been changed, the Health Professions Council will need to set up approved courses. Colleges are already expected to offer such supplementary prescribing courses, and the first batch of approved independent physiotherapy prescribers is anticipated to start the new course in autumn 2013.

Changes needed for the Medicines Act 1968 are applicable UK-wide from the outset, yet in order for these changes to apply in NHS settings, additional changes are required in NHS regulations. The Government foresees that these changes to NHS regulations are undertaken as soon as possible.

Whilst the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will determine how and whether to take forward changes to their NHS Regulations, the response from the medical profession has so far been overwhelmingly positive.

Bill Beeby, chair of the BMA's GP clinical and prescribing subcommittee, supported the decision, stating:

"It is appropriate that accredited physiotherapists and podiatrists should be able to use their training to prescribe within their area of expertise, in the same way already undertaken by nurses and pharmacists."

However, he stressed that to ensure patient safety is maintained, appropriate regulation of protocols are essential.

Professor Clare Gerada, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, also welcomed the move, saying: "This is demonstrably in the interest of better patient care and efficient use of NHS resources."

Written by Petra Rattue

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