Nurse Prescribing And the UK Drugs Bill

Drug budgets at the eight nurse prescribing pilot schemes across the UK have risen by an average of 4%, compared with an annual overall rise in the National Health service drugs bill of 7%, say preliminary estimates.

Under-Secretary of State for health Baroness Cumberledge said that if this was repeated nationwide, it would mean English drug spending alone dropping by L11 million ($17 million) a year. She said the improved spending pattern was due to nurses knowing precisely what patients need, which cuts down on waste, and she hoped nurse prescribing would become a reality nationwide "before too long."

Meantime, it is forecast that the number of practice nurses will eventually double that of general practitioners, from the current ratio of one nurse to every four GPs. A report in GP magazine notes that Andrew Willis, chairman of the National Association of Commissioning GPs, believes that GPs will return to practising almost entirely as clinicians, while the practice nurse will be responsible for all preventive work and much of the routine follow-up of chronic conditions. "She will consult with patients who are ill, or believe themselves to be ill, and who know and trust her to diagnose their problems and advise management appropriate to the condition and their individual circumstances," said Dr Willis.