This month, the Journal of Paramedic Practice contains an article from the College of Paramedics on the recent ministerial approval for the commencement of preparatory work to take paramedic independent prescribing proposals forward to public consultation.
In it, it outlines the work of the Allied Health Professions (AHP) Medicines Project, a joint initiative by NHS England and the Department of Health, which aims to extend prescribing, supply and administration of medicines to allied health professions.
The concept of independent prescribing for paramedics is not a new one—the Department of Health's (DH) ambulance review Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services (DH, 2005) recommended that prescribing for paramedics should be actively explored. Since then, the College of Paramedics have been actively campaigning to review the current legislation around non-medical independent prescribing and the case for paramedic independent prescribers.
Under current medicines legislation, paramedics are able to supply and administer a range of medicines, on their own initiative, as part of their normal professional practice for the immediate and necessary treatment of sick or injured persons (DH, 2010). However, it is not currently possible for paramedics to write a prescription for a patient. This is largely because in an emergency situation, it would be unlikely that paramedics would need to write a prescription. Instead, their priority would be to stabilise, treat and transport the patient as necessary. However, the need for paramedics to provide a broader range of treatment in both emergency and urgent (non-emergency) settings has become increasingly apparent.
Paramedics are treating more patients at their homes, thus avoiding the need for many patients to visit A&E. Additionally, paramedics who have undertaken further training, such as emergency care practitioners (ECPs), often work independently in these two types of settings.
The Department of Health's vision for urgent and emergency care is that ‘patients are provided with 24/7 services which are integrated together, so that patients get the right care wherever they access the health system’ (DH, 2010). The ambulance service plays a key role in allowing for this integration due to the flexibility of the roles that are undertaken by ECPs and other advanced practitioners in delivering care to patients at home and in the community.
The benefit of prescribing for paramedics is clear: not only would it support better integration of urgent and emergency care services, it would enable patients to avoid having to make an additional visit to another healthcare provider. The work that the College of Paramedics is undertaking with NHS England, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and Health Education England, therefore, is integral if this is to become a reality.