Prescription Requirements and Controlled Drugs
Your NMP role will include writing prescriptions within your specialist clinical area. Please see the BNF guidance for prescription writing below, including legal requirements and good practice measures:
As an NMP you may need to prescribe Controlled Drugs as part of your clinical role. Different NMPs have different legal restrictions on what Controlled Drugs can be prescribed. Below are some resources:
- Health and Care Professions Council
- BNF Controlled Drugs guidance
- BNF Controlled Drugs restrictions per professional
Clinical assessment and decision making
The role of the NMP often involves clinical assessment, examination and decision-making. Here are some tools to support you:
- Geeky medics history taking tools
- Geeky medics clinical examination tools
- Measuring basic observations (vital signs)
- Manual blood pressure taking
- NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries
Below are some clinical assessment and decision-making courses:
- UWE (University West of England): Physical Assessment and Clinical Reasoning for Practice
- UOG (University of Gloucestershire): Assessment, Diagnosis and Decision Making for Advanced Clinical Practice
Adverse Drug Reactions and Clinical Errors
An adverse drug reaction (ADR) can be reported online using the Yellow Card Reporting Service here.
Alternatively, call 0800 731 6789 to report. Hard copies of the Yellow Form are still available in the back of BNFs. Alternatively you can report adverse reactions via your GP Prescribing system. Additional training on the reporting of ADR is available free from the MHRA here.
Educational resources
For pharmacy professionals:
- CPPE (Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education): Prescribing
- Primary care pharmacy education newsletter: this resource includes recent educational opportunities available to support clinical practice (the newsletter can be found half-way down the page). This page will be replaced to a G-Care Education and Training page in due course.
For nursing and allied healthcare professionals:
- Clinical learning and development catalogue (to sign up to the mailing list please email karis.ramsay1@nhs.net
Additional Resources
Below is a list of additional resources to support you as an NMP:
- NICE Guidelines
- NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS)
- Gloucestershire Joint Formulary
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS): A Competency Framework for all Prescribers
- Nursing and Midwifery Council: Standards for Prescribing Programmes
- Framework for other professions – TBC
- The Textbook of Non-Medical Prescribing [edited by Dr Dilse Nuttall and Jane Rutt-Howard]. 2020. Library Athens Account required.
Training Directory
The Training Directory brings Training and Education opportunities together in one place and can be searched by Role and topic, allowing individuals to identify opportunities most useful and applicable for their development and Role. To access the Training Directory, please click here.
NMP contacts
NMP Lead: Adele Jones (adele.jones4@nhs.net)
For feedback and suggestions on this page please contact karis.ramsay1@nhs.net