Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995: Proposed extension of non-medical prescribing

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A decision made on 8 February 2019

Decision Reference: MD-HSS-2019-0001
Decision Summary Title :	Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 – Proposed extension of non-medical prescribing		Date of Decision Summary:	21st January 2019
Decision Summary Author:	Chief Pharmacist		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title :	Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 – Proposed extension of non-medical prescribing		Date of Written Report:	21st January 2019
Written Report Author:	Chief Pharmacist		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 – Proposed extension of non-medical prescribing to additional healthcare professionals
Decision(s): The Minister approved proposed amendments to the Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 to enable a wider range of healthcare professionals to prescribe medicines to the same extent that they can in the UK.
Reason(s) for Decision: It was previously recommended that non-medical prescribing be extended to other healthcare professionals once nurse prescribing was well established in Jersey.
Resource Implications: None
Action required: The Principal Legislative Drafter to be requested to prepare the necessary amendment on the basis of a drafting brief to be provided by the Chief Pharmacist.
Signature:		Position:
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995: Proposed extension of non-medical prescribing

STATES OF JERSEY

HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 – Proposed extension of non-medical prescribing

Issue

The Minister is requested to consider amending the Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 to enable pharmacists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, optometrists, paramedics and therapeutic radiographers to prescribe prescription only medicines to the same degree that they can in the UK

Background

Non-medical prescribing, which is prescribing of medicines by healthcare professionals who are not doctors or dentists, is now a well-established practice with many different healthcare professionals in the UK being able to lawfully prescribe prescription only medicines.

In 2011, P.94/2011 amended the Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 in order to create the legal framework to introduce non-medical prescribing in Jersey. The amending legislation provided the Minister with the power to specify a wider range of practitioners that may prescribe medicinal products. Up until this time the Minister could only specify doctors, dentists or veterinary surgeons as appropriate practitioners for the prescribing of medicinal products under Article 57 of the Law.

In 2013, the Minister made the Medicines (Prescription Only) (Amendment No. 8) (Jersey) Order 2013 which created three new types of Appropriate Practitioner for the purposes of being able to prescribe medicinal products. These were midwife prescribing practitioner, nurse prescribing practitioner and specialist community public health nurse prescribing practitioner.

The intention and recommendation at that time was to extend this to other professions once the practice of nurse prescribing became established in Jersey and also the practice of other professions prescribing became established and well recognised in the UK.

Nurse prescribing in Jersey is now well accepted as is prescribing by pharmacists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, optometrists, paramedics and therapeutic radiographers in the UK. It is now appropriate to amend legislation to enable this wider range of healthcare professionals to prescribe medicines in Jersey as was originally envisaged

Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to approve proposed amendments to the Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 to enable a wider range of healthcare professionals to prescribe medicines to the same extent that they can in the UK and to direct the Chief Pharmacist to prepare a drafting instructions for consideration by the Principal Legislative Drafter.