Progress

In May 2001, the Scottish Executive Health Department outlined proposals to extend nurse prescribing in order to ensure faster and easier access to services and treatment for patients and make better use of the skills and abilities of nurses.

The areas of practice to which prescribing powers be extended are minor injuries, minor ailments, health promotion and palliative care.

A letter from the Chief Nursing Officer was distributed on the 21st November 2001(CNO (2001)1), setting out the process by which nurses could be identified and prioritised to take part in the training for the extension of nurse prescribing.

Roadshows were held in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness at the beginning of December to further explain the process. The workshops were well attended, and many issues around the extension of nurse prescribing were discussed.

A further letter from the Chief Nursing Officer was issued on the 5th February (CNO (2002) 1), requesting Trusts to submit their lists of nurses for the first wave of training. It is expected that training programmes will begin in April 2002.