Nurse / Non-Medical Prescribing: National Update

Guidelines for non medical prescribing are ever changing, and those of us working within child health need to maintain an awareness of not just generic guidelines, but those that are also relevant to neonates, children and young people. This presentation will give an overview of recent developments within non medical prescribing, and how these tie in with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC). These standards have been tied in with the focus at London South Bank University (LSBU), including how we bring in our practice portfolio alongside the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Competency Framework for all Prescribers. The theme of bringing in LSBU’s model of teaching is also highlighted in discussing the NMC revalidation. Knowledge of pharmacology and pharmacokinetics is important for any non medical prescriber, but the differences are outlined with relevance to child health, including giving case studies and clinical examples of prescribing, showing how the need for different knowledge and skills are required across the different age ranges. It is imperative that a non medical prescriber is aware of their scope of practice, and specifics pertaining to children are outlined. The presentation concludes by summarising the benefits of being a non medical prescriber in child health, but emphasises the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork, which is apparent in our student numbers over the last 5 years.