Non-medical prescribing in Wales: Implementation and governance

Abstract

There have been changes made to the United Kingdom (UK) wide medicines legislation-permitting non-medical prescribing in the UK. Consequently as a result of this, it is up to each devolved administration to decide how it is implemented within its National Health Service. In order to enable this to happen, changes to NHS Wales Regulations have been made. In Wales along with the other three countries in the UK, the last two and a half decades has seen significant developments in non-medical prescribing policy and practice, with other healthcare professionals gaining prescribing rights. This has resulted due to the extension of prescribing authority, to nurse and midwives initially, and since, to pharmacists and certain allied health professions. Indeed, this has been an exciting development for the healthcare profession in Wales, which has had to respond to significant changes in how patient care and health provision are delivered.