Practice Manager

[jennyjoan]

Can the Practice Manager in your surgery - allowed to prescribe medication within her ability

[Buenchico]

No. A practice manager is a business administrator, not a health professional, per se:
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/management/roles-management/practice-manager

[jennyjoan]

thanks Chris - but if the prescription perhaps just needs to be tweaked could she ask the doctor herself and get permission

[jennyjoan]

I have emailed this afternoon so I guess I'll know soon enough.

[sherrardk]

I’m sure if it’s just a tweak anyone who works there could sort it, the caretaker or a cleaner maybe?

[Theland]

Everything has to be approved by a doctor.

[bednobs]

the prescription will need to be re-written by a prescriber (usually doctor or nurse; never a practice manager

[barry1010]

All she could do is pass your request on to the doctor or nurse for them to deal with it. She cannot add or remove items from your prescription nor vary the amount or dose. Thankfully.

[jennyjoan]

thanks all - and mostly thanks to Sherrard who has surfaced again with her sarcasm

[gingejbee]

^sarcastic maybe, but didn't it make the point?

[sherrardk]

You’re welcome :)

[david small]

A practice nurse can write prescription.

[barry1010]

Yes, a practice nurse can issue a prescription but a practice nurse is not the practice manager

[Vagus]

Some practice nurses can issue prescriptions, not all.

[rowanwitch]

They need to have the nurse prescribers course and can only prescribe a limited range of meds, mostly inhalers for asthma /copd, complex dressings, stoma products, and skin care items. Some with the advanced prescribers/practitioners course can do more but usually only in a hospital setting.

[Sqad]

rowan..are practise nurses covered with insurance against medical negligence? e.g incorrect dose on a prescription.

[bednobs]

I don't think that's true rowan - once you are a prescriber, you (in theory) have the ability to prescribe the whole BNF
However, your employer may limit you or you may wish to limit yourself

[rowanwitch]

All nurses that belong to the RCN have professional insurance I think unison provides the same, they will also be covered by their employer. Items on the nursing formulary are considered low risk. Even when I was nursing we had a limited formulary that saved us bothering the junior doctors for things like simple analgesia, laxatives and one off low dose salbutamol nebulisers. Nurse prescribing was Just starting when I left.

[Sqad]

OK thanks rowan.

[bednobs]

as an example, when I was working as a Mc,illan nurse, we were able to prescribe everything including diamorphine

[rowanwitch]

The key phrase is "within their area of competence,". This generally means nurses stay mostly with their specialities and the content of their prescribers training.