Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015
635. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to extending the remit of registered nurse prescribers to address the needs of medical card holders in private nursing home facilities to the same extent as is currently permitted regarding non-medical card holders in such facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14890/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) Regulations, 2007 (S.I. No. 201 of 2007) and the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations, 2007 (S.I. No. 200 of 2007) signed into law on the 1 May 2007, give prescriptive authority to nurses and midwives under specific conditions. The legislation allows a registered nurse or midwife to prescribe a range of medications within their scope of practice. The nurse or midwife must:
- have completed an approved six month education programme;
- have the appropriate three years clinical experience;
- be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board Ireland (NMBI) as a Registered Nurse Prescriber (RNP); and
- have authority from their health service provider to prescribe a range of medications.
The first Nurse and Midwife Prescribers in Ireland were registered with An Bord Altranais now the NMBI, in January 2008. To date, only a small number of nurses from private nursing homes have undertaken the Certificate in Nursing for Nurse/Midwife Prescribing.
Professional guidance is already in place with regard to nurse and midwife medicinal product prescribing from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and from the HSE for its services. The HSE has developed a robust governance process for the safe implementation of nurse and midwife prescribing. This governance process has been shared with Nursing Homes Ireland. However, issues concerning governance, risk management and patient safety need to be addressed and appropriate protocols and procedures put in place by the nursing home sector to support and facilitate the extension of this important initiative for medical card patients.
In this regard, the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer of the Department of Health, the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director of the HSE and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland met with Nursing Homes Ireland in 2014 to progress this initiative. Nursing Homes Ireland was given guidance on the best approach to the implementation and governance arrangements required to be in place to support the safe prescribing of medicines by nurses in the nursing homes.
Further engagement has been arranged between the parties to progress the development of the necessary governance arrangements and adapt the national framework for the nursing home sector. These issues are the subject of current discussions between Nursing Homes Ireland, the HSE Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director and the Chief Nursing Officer’s Office of the Department of Health.
