Independent Prescribing for Podiatrists

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Hi fellow Pod's,

Does anyone know if there has been any developments since the DOH scoping project closed regarding the introduction of IP for podiatrists and Physiotherapists??

 

Hi, The project board set up by the DH in 2010 is meeting regularly in London and Leeds so the project is still very much alive and a vast amount of work has been done 'behind the scenes'. The next main board meeting is in March 2011 and the educational and governance working parties meet additional to the main meetings.

In any exercise such as this, involving regular oversight of elements by the DH and Health Minister, it can seem that there are long periods of inactivity to those not actively involved in such a project. Part of this is due to the fact that as idea's are mooted, discussed and analysed the consensus has then to be approved by the DH and Minister before we move on to the next part. The board and working party members are bound by government confidentiality requirements, understandably, so we are not able to disseminate specific information until given permission to do so.

However, generally speaking, as one of the Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists two representatives seconded to serve in the project (myself on the main board and Judith Barbaro-Brown on the education and governance groups) I am personally pleased with the progress that is being made and am quietly confident that more information can soon be released in order to keep the profession abreast of the most interesting possibilities that may well come about.

Sorry to speak like a politician - as those who know me can confirm, that is the very last thing that I am, but I can genuinely assure you that both Judith and myself plus Matthew and Conrad from the Society, together with Alan Borthwick wearing his AHP federation hat are arguing the professions corner with great determination. Watch this space,

All the best, Martin.

Martin Harvey. Podiatrist Supplementary Prescriber

 

Hi Martin,

Your previous post is reassuring. I myself am a Podiatrist Supplementary Prescriber (SP) and I'm extremely frustrated with the whole situation of SP. I finished my course in the summer of last year, was impressed that as soon as the uni had released our results - 2 days later the extension to my scope of practice had been updated on the HPC website. With this information and evidence and all the required paper work I applied for my prescription pad.

This is where the fun really starts. I still have not recieved my prescription pad as the trusts NMP leads (Nurse and Pharmacist) do not know what 'code' to put a Podiatrist SP under. Its crazy!!!!

My colleague and I are the first Podiatrist prescribers in the trust - so I imagined it would take a little while to get things sorted, but THIS IS JUST A JOKE!!

I am so disappointed with the whole experience - I really thought SP would help to improve patient care, but nothing has changed - except i no longer belive SP should be a training option for podiatrists, I think that in future we should just wait until IP is hopefully introduced. My reasons for this are that even when I do manage to prescribe in my current trust we have issues with regards to records as Podiatry and GP's do not have shared records, we have issues with 'diagnosis' as most of our patients are referred for a diagnosis by the Podiatrist.

I think any positive news on this front would really help to lift the spirits of Podiatrists in a similar situation to myself who feel hard done by, by the fact that the nurses who we studied alongside are already prescribing, they are able to prescribe independently and only had to study at BSc level.

It just doesn't seem fair!!!


Paul.

 

Thanks Martin for the useful insight to the consultation process. I know that is is difficult to guess, but what sort of timescale do you feel might be at play here before the outcome of the study is made available - do you think it will be year end 2011 or longer?

 

Hi Paul

It's not fair - it never was. In my view, as the only independent profession other than Doctors of Medicine and of Dental Surgery, we should at least have had a limited independent prescribing list circa 50+ years ago. Blame the then teachers of chiropody who thought that it was quite sufficient to rub on creams and interestingly coloured dyes. I don't know if you are ancient enough (like me) to remember the incredible difficulties to persuade the Society to accept L.A., and even when they did, they wanted 3ml. of 1% lignocaine only - because that was what their orthopaedic friends said was sufficient to block a hallux! This historicity is what Martin and Judith from the Institute and their co-workers are having to fight against, and I know that it is not easy but; they are fighting tooth and nail for full independent prescribing and I also know just how many hours of work this entails - and they are doing it for no reward.

All the best

Bill Liggins

 

Thanks for the reply Bill!

For your information i'm not 'ancient enough' as you put it to remember the introduction of LA! I appreciate that a number of people are fighting hard for us to achieve Independent prescribing rights but I would like to know if there is anything that we can do to help??

Thanks,

Paul.

 

Hi Paul,

As soon as more information is released into the public domain will certainly post it on area.

In the meantime, the following statement is in the public domain at : http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publication...tions/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_119164

"The Allied Health Professionals Prescribing and Medicines Supply Mechanisms Scoping Project recommended further work be undertaken to take forward independent prescribing by physiotherapists and podiatrists. The two engagement exercises are seeking views on the development of independent prescribing for physiotherapists and for podiatrists.

Depending on the outcome, and subject to agreement by Ministers, these views may then inform and assist the development of a formal public consultation led by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) proposing specific amendments to the relevant legislation."

So, in the event that a formal public consultation DOES go ahead, then it would be particularly useful if we could all try to spread as widely as possible the information that this is happening - and in particular ensure that as many people as possible who respond to it have ACCURATE facts this time (sorry to shout but that's a key point if you follow me ) about medicines law and Podiatry - and how IP could improve a wide range of service outcomes.

Cheers,

Martin

 

Ah, those were heady days indeed! I recall with satirical fondness P J Read, one of the then doyens of the Society, furious that the upstart younger generation were daring to think in terms of the heresy of progress, stating "You don't need LA to treat onychocryptosis properly, all you need is a fine eye and a sharp scalpel". I mustn't misquote him, it might have been a sharp eye and a fine scalpel!

The reason that we have LA now, and a markedly expanded range of practice, is that the members of the Podiatry Association (most of whom were members of the Society, although it included members of the Institute) packed out the Birmingham Society AGM and voted down the Society Council resolution to accept 3ml of 1% Lignocaine. This was done on the rational basis that if we were trained to use the drugs then we should be trained well enough to use manufacturers recommended safe dose, and if we were not trained well enough then we should not be using LA at all. This was followed by a statement that in the case of true anaphylaxis, 3ml would be just as dangerous as MSRD. I suspect that P J Read, who wrote 'Therapeutics for Chiropodists' was unaware of this fact. Some Council members fought valiantly on behalf of their orthopaedic friends (who presumably enjoyed receiving kisses per ani) but they were swamped by the vote.

I believe that there are still some of our profession who love orthopaedic surgeons. I note that on the programme for Chiropodists and Podiatrists at the Primary Care Conference in Birmingham, not one podiatric surgeon is featured as speaking in the foot surgery section. They are all orthopods - one who is particularly vituperative against colleagues - Mark Heron, Priory Hospital; check out his website - and the page is under the Society coat of arms and logo!

All the best

Bill Liggins

Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat the errors

 

It may not help with the legalise but there is an MSc course for AHP Independent Prescribing being run by the Royal Society of Medicine and the University of Glamorgan.

 

Hi Luke,

That's true and it looks a good course. I'm not certain whether it is a course leading to annotation on the HPC register or whether it is post-annotation having already done the required 3 months full-time or 6 months part-time courses provided by various UK Uni's.

Also, for colleagues wishing to do a 'mixed MSc', at some of the Uni's, for example Birmingham City where I did my prescribing course, it is offered as a Masters module - usually at 30 M credits - so it can be considered with the approval of the final awarding institution as part of another relevant MSc degree.

Cheers,

Martin

 

Press Release:
Wide-reaching report finds strong support for nurse and pharmacist prescribing
10 May 2011

 

All,

I`d like to utilise this thread to urge EVERYONE IN THE UK to look at the attached document and complete it on line (or post it to the DH) with the addition of your own words in the response sections, prior to the closing date of 8 December 2011.

It would be advantageous for us ALL to promote this document to our colleagues, Doctors, Patients and other health professionals to help support our quest for Independent Prescribing for Podiatrists. Dun ddun ddun dun dun dun DUH ddundun DUH ddundun DUHHHH!

Cheers,
Bel

__________________

 

Thank you for posting the electronic version of the consultation, I shall certainly look at completing mine.

One point (not directed at you B), however, is what is the relevence of the sexual orientation? Can't see why this has any bearing on why we should be given IP rights!

Angie

 

It is about as relevant as your ethnic origin.

 

No problem, A. You`ll have noticed that it is actually filled out for those who are unsure which box to tick . This is the work of Dr Alan Borthwick and if anyone has any questions regarding this process, he is happy for any questions to be sent direct to him on one of the following email addresses; ab12@soton.ac.uk or meds@scpod.org.

Think I might be annoying poster of the week and repost this as a new thread, just to ensure ALL pods get the message!

Indeed.

 

Hi Bel’ and colleagues,

Glad to see the consultation is being heavily promoted, the colleagues and myself on the D of H Allied Health Professions medicines project board are hoping for a great response turnout.

As you can understand, it is not yet possible to publically suggest timetables for implementation in the happy event that the project reaches a successful conclusion (as a Pod my own personal definition of ‘successful conclusion’ is naturally option 5), however, time passes quickly and in the event that all goes well it is perhaps appropriate to consider looking beyond the possible granting of IP rights.

There is already substantial information in the public domain about multi-discipline competency frameworks that will need to be considered by both commissioners, managers and prescribers alike that may be worthy of consideration by ourselves as a profession and by prescribers in particular.

A good example is www.npc.nhs.uk/qipp/resources/competency_framework.pdf which is a report discussing “the coordinated delivery of effective prescribing, medicines management and pharmacy within and across care pathways, including health and social care” Amongst other things this gives examples of services requiring prescribing and medicines management input, and, bless them, mentions Podiatry, albeit briefly on page 12.

It is worth anyone with an interest in prescribing to peruse the National Prescribing Centre website at www.npc.nhs.uk, you will find a wealth of information on non-medical prescribing (NMP) thereon. In particular you will find reports dated august 2011 on the ‘responsibilities of NMP leads’ and a July 2011 report on ‘a positive evaluation of NMP – with some areas for improvement’.

There is also substantial other information throughout the section: www.npc.nhs.uk/non_medical/

In conclusion, can I just clarify that ANYONE can respond to this exercise including the public, your patients, non-pod colleagues etc, so don't keep it just a secret to the profession, also, you can respond to both documents at the same time so have a look at the Physiotherapy one as well.

Kind Regards,

Martin