Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) pharmacists, (2) registered nurses, (3) physiotherapists, (4) occupational therapists, (5) radiographers, (6) and paramedics, are registered to prescribe medicines; what proportion of each of those professions are licensed; and what plans they have to expand the numbers of each of those groups registered and the range of medicines covered.

This information is not held centrally. Pharmacists, registered nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers and paramedics are subject to statutory regulation and must be registered with the relevant healthcare regulatory body to practise in the United Kingdom. Pharmacists are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, registered nurses are regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers and paramedics are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council.

Pharmacists, registered nurses, physiotherapists, therapeutic radiographers and paramedics are legally entitled to be independent prescribers. Diagnostic radiographers are legally entitled to be supplementary prescribers. Individuals must have completed an approved post-registration training course and have an annotation placed against their name in the professional register to state that they have completed this course before this entitlement can be utilised. Occupational therapists are currently able to supply and/or administer medicines under a Patient-Specific Direction or Patient Group Direction within local clinical governance arrangements.

The Department is responsible for providing the legal framework for allowing registered health professionals to train as independent prescribers. Healthcare providers are responsible for utilising the legal framework to increase local capacity according to clinical need and the desired service configuration. The medicines which may be prescribed is dependent on the individual’s clinical competence and scope of practice. Where any controlled drugs are to be prescribed, there must be specific provision in the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.