Exploring the roles and responsibilities of non-medical prescribing leads in the South West of England

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the role and responsibilities of non-medical prescriber leads in the southwest of England. A questionnaire was completed by 22 leads in this region in 2019. A total of 2388 healthcare professionals were reported to have the prescribing qualification amongst the 22 participating organisations. Just under half (44.5%) of the leads did not have any designated time to undertake the role, and a third (31.2%) did not have the role included within their job description. The demands of the role were evident in the key areas of activities reported by leads in this study. A total of 21 (95.5%) respondents reported that governance and communication with managers/non-medical prescribers was important or essential to their role, whilst only 11 (50%) described the support of designated medical practitioners in this way. The responsibilities of the leads in the southwest of England are complex, however, many of them undertake the role with limited organisational support. Research is required in order to fully understand the role and responsibilities of the Lead role, so that it can be supported appropriately. Without this, the full benefits of non-medical prescibing are unlikely to be realised, as Leads will not have the time or capacity to undertake the role effectively.