In the same way that nurses and pharmacist can, British physiotherapists are to soon have the rights to prescribe medicine to patients. Currently, physiotherapists can prescribe medication with the written permission of doctors. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy believe this change will improve patient care.
It is believed that being able to prescribe medicine for pain relief, neurological conditions such as a stroke and respiratory diseases such as asthma, would help improve the effectiveness of treatment.
This change will also relieve doctors from the burden of writing prescriptions from the recommendations of physiotherapists, who will now have full responsibility and accountability with their prescribing decisions. Physiotherapists have had the rights to be ‘supplementary subscribers’ since 2001, are well placed to take on the additional responsibility and training required to be independent prescriber's.
Not all physiotherapists would gain the right automatically, a training course would have to be completed and the individual physiotherapist would have to be approved. This move is aimed at the experienced and specialist practitioners mainly, there are 35,000 registered physiotherapists in the UK currently.
A full government review took place before it was decided to be a good idea, Health minister Lord Howe said: 'Physiotherapists are highly trained clinicians who play a vital role in ensuring patients receive integrated care that helps them recover after treatment or manage a long-term condition successfully.
'By introducing these changes, we aim to make the best use of their skills and allow patients to benefit from a faster and more effective service.'
The new legislation is expected to come into effect in April next year.
We believe this is due recognition of the highly skilled assessment and treatment that physiotherapists provide, which is the result of years of training and study. It is also testament to the trust placed in us by our patients and the respect the profession has garnered from the wider medical profession.
