Prescribing ready: a guide for nurses

Nurse prescribing enables nurses to use their knowledge and expertise to support patients and other healthcare professionals in the safe and effective use of medicines. Nurse prescribers are qualified professionals who:

• improve patients’ access to medicines
• promote medication concordance and adherence to treatment
• work collaboratively with the wider multidisciplinary team to improve patient care

This guide will help nurses to understand the requirements of becoming a prescriber.

Nurse prescribing

Nurse prescribing was first recommended in 1986 in the Cumberledge report (Department of Health and Social Security, 1986). In 1992, community nurses in England were allowed to prescribe from an extended formulary (Dunn and Pryor, 2023). Since then, various acts of parliament, standards and frameworks have been implemented to regulate this role and ensure nurse prescriber competence and public safety.

Currently, nurse independent prescribers can prescribe any medication for any medical condition, including schedule 2–5 controlled drugs, except for diamorphine, dipipanone