Independent Prescribing

Assessment

Successful completion of the course requires learners to pass all academic assessments and demonstrate competence in prescribing practice. 

The course is assessed through: 

• a numeracy assessment;  

• a pharmacology examination;  

• a 1,500-word critical analysis of a prescribing encounter; and  

• completion of a Practice Assessment Document (PAD), demonstrating achievement of the competencies within the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Competency Framework for All Prescribers.  

The learner’s Designated Prescribing Practitioner is responsible for assessing their prescribing practice and confirming whether they have demonstrated the required competence.

Entry Requirements

Applicants must: 

• be registered with the GPhC, NMC or HCPC in a profession eligible to undertake independent prescribing training;  

• meet the entry requirements of their professional regulator and the University;  

• for NMC- and HCPC-registered applicants, provide evidence of recent academic study or otherwise demonstrate their ability to study at Level 7; 

• have appropriate experience, knowledge and clinical skills relevant to their intended scope of prescribing practice;  

• have a clearly defined intended scope of prescribing practice, supported by an identified clinical or service need;  

• have access to an appropriate clinical learning environment in which they can complete the required supervised practice and develop the relevant prescribing competencies;  

• have an appropriately qualified and experienced Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) and, for NMC-registered applicants, a Practice Supervisor (PS); and 

• provide confirmation of organisational support, including appropriate clinical governance arrangements and protected time to undertake the course and supervised practice.

Eligibility is assessed individually against the requirements of the applicant’s professional regulator and their proposed scope of prescribing practice.

Application and Approval Process 

Applicants must identify their proposed DPP and, for NMC applicants, a Practice Supervisor as part of the application process. The relevant declaration and organisational support forms must be completed before arrangements can be approved. Applicants should not assume that their supervised-practice arrangements have been approved until confirmation has been received from the University. 

Supervised Practice 

Supervised practice enables learners to apply their academic learning, develop prescribing competence within their intended scope of practice and gather evidence for their Practice Assessment Document. 

Learners should work with their DPP and, where applicable, Practice Supervisor to plan suitable learning opportunities across the course. Supervised practice must provide sufficient breadth and depth for the learner to demonstrate all required prescribing competencies and should not consist solely of observation. 

Outcome

Following successful completion of the course and confirmation of the award, learners are eligible to apply to their professional regulator to have their prescribing qualification recorded or annotated on the professional register. 

The prescribing annotation awarded will depend on the learner’s profession and the requirements of the GPhC, NMC or HCPC. 

Learners must not prescribe until their prescribing qualification has been recorded or annotated by their professional regulator and all necessary local clinical governance arrangements are in place.