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Non-medical prescribing implementation example
Nurse Independent and Supplementary Prescribing in Substance misuse
Organisation Villa Street Medical Centre, Southwark Area of practice Nurse Independent and Supplementary Prescribing in Substance misuse

Example of implementation of NMP

Beverley was one of the first nurse prescribers in the substance misuse field and has been prescribing for the past 3 ½ years. This extension to her role has greatly enhanced her clinical practice and more importantly improved care for the service users. She works in primary care, at a GP surgery which has a special interest in substance misuse.

Clients now do not have to wait for a doctor to sign their prescription or to have the dose changed as Beverley can now issue a prescription herself during their session with her. The capacity of the clinic has been greatly increased and patients have improved access to their treatment.

Beverley also jointly manages, with a GPwSI, a prescribing clinic at a local drug project for clients who do not have a GP to prescribe for them. Being able to prescribe enables her to run the clinic in the GP’s absence which again benefits service users and improves their continuity of care.

Clients like the arrangement; when Beverley audited their opinions about nurse prescribing all the responses were highly positive.

Beverley works as both an independent and a supplementary prescriber. She independently prescribes antidepressants, medication for alcohol withdrawal and dependence, smoking cessation medication and lofexidine. She also prescribes controlled drugs such as methadone and buprenorphine as a supplementary prescriber.

Being able to prescribe has also given more credibility to her role in training junior doctors. Substance misuse is a specialist area for medical staff and she is actively involved in training them in managing drug users and substitute prescribing.

For further information please contact:

Beverley Harniman, Clinical nurse specialist, substance misuse. Villa Street Medical Centre, Southwark, London, Beverley.Harniman@nhs.net