The UK Government has announced regulatory changes to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 to allow paramedic independent prescribers to be able to prescribe and administer, in addition to directing others to administer, the following list of five controlled substances.
- Morphine Sulfate
- Diazepam
- Midazolam
- Lorazepam
- Codeine Phosphate
The move comes four years after the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, working in conjunction with the College of Paramedics and NHS England, recommended the legislative changes which were accepted by the UK Government in 2022. These changes come into effect on the 31st December.
The College of Paramedics will be running a free-for-all webinar on Friday December 22nd, 10am – 11am, to discuss this change. You can register for this event here. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has guidance around the safe use and management of controlled substances, which you can find here. For learning modules around end-of-life prescribing, click here.
Tracy Nicholls, Chief Executive of the College of Paramedics said: “To achieve this result has really been about the efforts of many people over several years. The necessary legislative system, within which we must operate, has had a number of challenges over the last few years but I am keen that we focus on the positive which is the statutory instrument that allows the regulatory changes to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. It is our hope that these changes will enable our profession to operate safely, within a well-governed system to support optimal patient care for those who require our services, all without placing additional burden on colleagues within the systems which we work. My grateful thanks goes to our relevant Specialist Interest Groups and to those who supported the College at the House of Lords Short Debate, and in particular, Lord Butler of Brockwell and Lord
Patel.”
It is widely believed that the amended legislation will facilitate swifter access to medicines for patients, alleviate pressure in accident and emergency departments, and empower paramedics operating at an advanced level of practice to independently assess, diagnose, and treat patients, instead of referring them to another healthcare professional. There are currently over 1640 paramedic independent prescribers in the UK, all of whom have completed an approved prescribing programme and who work across a variety of settings including palliative care, GP surgeries, out-of-hours, specialist wards and critical care.
