Possible three yearly checks for nurses and midwives under new scheme

Midwives and nurses working in the United Kingdom may face checks by patients, work colleagues and managers every three years in a new scheme proposed by The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

At the moment, nurses and midwives need to renew their fitness to practice, but following a number of disciplinary cases and the fallout from the Francis Report which looked into the issues raised at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, the NMC is keen to start a new process known as revalidation.

Under the proposed scheme, nurses and midwives will face the same kind of checks as Doctors (although they go through revalidation every five years) and will receive feedback on their performance, with those who are not up to scratch facing being prevented from working with patients.

There are around 670,000 midwives and nurses working in the UK and the revalidation process will be part of the normal appraisal system from 2015 if it is endorsed by the governing body of the NMC.  If the scheme gets the go ahead, there will be a consultation period in 2014.


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Podiatrists and physiotherapists now able to prescribe medication in the UK

Physiotherapists and Podiatrists working in the NHS in the United Kingdom can, as of 20^th August 2013, prescribe some medications for their patients.

The therapists will need to receive training in prescribing before they could begin dispensing them, which, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, can take up to six months when completed part time. The funding is expected to be covered by the NHS, although it could be self-funded if needed.

According to The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists the training will be provided by universities and the therapists HPC registration can be amended following completion to demonstrate their new skill.

Not all therapists will be required or allowed to prescribe medication: it will be appropriate only if there is found to be a need for it within the speciality of the therapist and it will probably be for experienced staff, rather than brand new graduates with not much ‘shop floor’ practical experience.

Of course, due to the demands of the services, it may be difficult for Therapy Managers to release staff to do the training, so it may be expected that only key staff members with extensive experience in specific areas to be trained first.

The service will be suitable for those patients seen by Physiotherapists and Podiatrists who experience chronic pain, for example, and because of the close therapeutic relationship the therapists may develop over treatment sessions with their patients, the therapists may have a better understanding of the cause and location of the pain along with any triggers than their GP, who may only see them infrequently.

The Department of Health also expect the new service to free up GP time, as the patient undergoing therapy may be less likely to need to see their Doctor.


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