Hello and welcome to the July issue of Prescribing Practice. I'm sure you were as interested as I was in the release of new guidance by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) expanding the scope of prescribing practice. While commissioned by the Welsh government, it has been designed to benefit prescribers across the UK. I'm sure you're all familiar with the competency framework for all prescribers; this guidance has been designed to work in tandem with that, and will guide new and existing prescribers on how to expand their skill set and their scope of practice.
I've no doubt you all as prescribers have ambitions and goals that at times will need guidance, support and structure; this new guidance seems to do exactly that, using a number of case studies to illustrate its methods. The new guidance provides support for your developmental needs, highlighting ways you can grow your scope of practice. Every practitioner has their own skillset, but within that, much like with every profession, there will be times you feel limited on what you can achieve. In healthcare, this must be an incredibly frustrating moment, especially if repeatably encountered. Providing prescribers with the tools and guidance to overcome these obstacles, and the necessary steps to expand their prescribing practice skillset could not only open doors for prescribers careers and the care they can give, but also for the wellbeing of your patients, limiting the amount of professionals they must go through and relay their conditions through in order find the appropriate treatment.
Read more: New professional guidance for independent prescribers
The document breaks down the key fundamentals of the continuing professional development (CPD) cycle when considering expanding your scope of practice. Many of you will already have reflected on your potential growth. From there, the document shows you must create a coherent plan for your scope of practice before then acting. Finally, reflecting on your progress will be key to your success. The document provides several figures that provide step-by-step infographics on both why and how you might want to expand your scope of practice. I'd encourage you all to have a read of it and see if it currently fits your needs for growth.
At a time when practitioners are finding themselves under increasing pressure, and the NHS is at the closest it's been to being overwhelmed so far, finding ways to accommodate and treat more complex patients without stretching the capacity of the NHS is clearly something that's been considered here. While this document is going to be of aid to many prescribers, you must also consider your own limits and how comfortable you feel expanding your role. While many of you will want to do your bit to aid the NHS at this challenging time, do also consider your own personal needs. Do these new guidelines help you at this moment? Are you looking to imminently expand your scope of practice? Expanding one's skillset can only be seen as a positive attribute, but make sure you do it for your own goals, and that of your patients, not because you're feeling the pressure of the services that are currently needed.
Right now, a new wave of COVID seems to be in our midst, I myself and my entire family currently have it, and while the commendable vaccination programme has definetely limited its effects, I'm sure you're noticing the uptake in your day-to-day practice again. During these busy times, it may be hard to find a moment to consider your personal workload and your CPD, but take those moments where you can, as well as taking the time to rest and recuperate. I hope you find the selection of this month's articles of interest; this issue marks the end of our three-issue collaboration with the Association for Prescribers, so I'd like to thank all of the contributors for their interesting and wide-ranging contributions.