Non medical prescribing in Scotland: implementation guide

Appendix 3: Actions for employer: notification of change of nurse prescriber details

1. In primary care, the prescribing lead(s) should notify HIG/ ISD of changes of circumstances or personal details of nurse prescribers using the form in Appendix 2. Each nurse prescriber has an individual responsibility to inform their local prescribing lead nurse of any changes in personal details. If a nurse prescriber is no longer carrying out prescribing duties (for example, because s/he has left employment or been suspended from the register of nurses or had her/his approval as a prescriber withdrawn for some reason), the prescribing lead nurse(s) should inform HIG/ ISD as soon as possible.

2. This requirement highlights the need for clear channels of communication, particularly between community practitioner nurse prescribers, nurse independent prescribers and employers. It is the responsibility of the nurse's employer:

• to ensure that no further prescription pads are ordered for a nurse who has left employment or who has been suspended from prescribing duties;
• to recover, record and securely destroy all unused prescription forms issued to that nurse relating to that employment.

The prescribing lead nurse(s) should annotate their lists of nurse prescribers with the reasons for any changes, to ensure that an up-to-date record exists. This can be maintained using an electronic database.

3. Similar notification arrangements need to be set up by the prescribing lead(s) for hospital-based nurse prescribers.