The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recently issued an important consultation on non-medical prescribing and mixing medicines in palliative care.

The consultation follows guidance issued in September and will aim to clarify the law in relation to non-medical prescribers prescribing two or more medicines for administration via a syringe driver.

The consultation follows publication of the agency’s guidance issued after pressure from the RCN and the National Council for Palliative Care who lobbied the Agency and the Nursing and Midwifery Council to find a solution to RCN member concerns about simultaneously administering two prescribed medications through a syringe driver.

This guidance advises that the palliative care practice of administering a mixture of licensed medication using a syringe driver, with the mixing and administration being undertaken by the prescriber or by another person – usually a nurse, working under the direction of the of the prescriber, is safe and effective. However, the guidance does not currently apply to nurses working outside palliative care.

In order to respond to the consultation effectively, the RCN would like to hear from members working outside palliative care about their experiences and the implications of the guidance on their practice. This will enable the Commission on Human Medicine (CHM) to consider these issues and recommend to Ministers whether any further legislative changes are needed.

Please send your comments to sue.thomas@rcn.org.uk by 20th February 2009.

Further information

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department of Health. It is responsible for the enforcement of the Medicines Act 1968 and related secondary legislation.

Go to the MHRA website.