The Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Health, Hazel Blears MP, has made clear for the first time that the new Prescribing Advisory Committee to extend prescribing rights to professions other than doctors might not be set up.
Ms Blears said, "We are considering whether to establish a new advisory committee under the Medicines Act 1968 or whether to ask an existing committee, such as the Committee on Safety of Medicines, to make recommendations to Ministers on which prescription-only medicines may be prescribed by new groups of prescribers. We are seeking the advice of the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines."
The statement was in response to two Parliamentary Questions from Dr Doug Naysmith MP. Dr Naysmith's questions were prompted by enquiries from the Association of Optometrists as to the progress on the legislative and regulatory background to prescribing rights for optometrists.
Dr Naysmith has given significant parliamentary support to the AOP's lobbying work and has recently joined the new All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment.
Ms Blears also told Parliament that there will be a joint public consultation in the Spring on a proposal to introduce supplementary prescribing for nurses and pharmacists.
"We will consider extending prescribing responsibilities to other health professions in the light of developments on these proposals," said Ms Blears.


     Listing # 20 Mar 2002