Frequently asked questions
Non-Medical Prescribing application process
Q: How is this coursefunded?
A: All applicants who are NHS employees within the Health Education England in the North-Eastcatchment area will be eligible for funding under Tier 1. If you do not fit into this category you must contact the admissions team. You can’t access the programme without confirmed funding being in place.
Q: How long does the course run for?
A: The courseruns twice a year, starting in September and January. There are 26 theory days –
these include taught, directed or self-directed study days and dedicated tutorials. The course runs for 18 weeks. Weeks 1 and 18 are full-week blocks; the theory days are Tuesdays between these weeks. You must attend all the course content which means 100% attendance. When you apply you’ll be informed of the course dates – if you can’t attend then your application won’t be processed further. If you think you may miss a session(s) you must contact the admissions team before applying.
In addition to the theory days, you are required to have 12 days (minimum 78 hours for nurses, minimum 90 hours for allied health professionals) of supervised practice. You must be supervised and work alongside your designated medical practitioner (DMP) mentor who is your practice assessor. Your DMP is responsible for your learning and assessment while you are in supervised practice. It is also important to spend time with other prescribing professionals including non-medical and medical prescribers where possible.
Q: Why do I need a medical doctor as a designated medical practitioner?
A:This is a professional body requirement. You must identify a suitableDMPwho can provide you with the learning opportunities appropriate to your field of prescribing. Your DMP must be arranged before applying as you must include their name and email in your application. The University contacts your DMP to verify they meet the requirements to supervise and assess you in practice.Your DMP must meet specific criteria to be your practice assessor – check this link for the criteriaand ensure your identified DMP meets the criteria:
Q: Why do I need to demonstrate the ability to study at academic Level 6?
A:It is important you canevidence successful relevant study at academic Level 6 within three years upon commencement of the course.Relevant study means that what you have studied is applicable to the prescribing practice you would undertake. So it must support your prescribing practice. This must be discussed with the non-medical prescribing course leader before you apply. An example of relevant study would be a clinical diagnostic type module. Applicants who do not meet the academic requirements may be considered via the normal University Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)process. If you are not sure you meet the criteria please discuss with the admissions team.
Q: Nurses– why do I need to have been qualified forat least three years and be working for at least one year in the area I will prescribe in?
Allied health professionals– why do I need to be professionally practising in an environment where there is an identified need for me to regularly use independent/supplementary prescribing (physiotherapists, podiatrists, therapeutic radiographers and paramedics who are working at an advanced practice level) or supplementary prescribing (diagnostic radiographers and dieticians)?
A:The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) dictate this. You must be able to take on this advanced skill. If you have not successfully completed a clinical skills module we will require written evidence of assessment in practice from your clinical manager. Your clinical manager will be asked to confirm you meet this requirement; they will be specifically asked to confirm that you have the appropriate skills to be able to safely and competently undertake an assessment and make a diagnosis in order to potentially safely prescribe.
Q: I work part time – will this affect my ability to apply?
A:Your manager is responsible for agreeing that you have the time needed to undertake theprogramme. This must be agreed before you apply.
Q: Can I do this programme as an option in my degree programme?
A:No
Q: How do I ensure my organisation will support my application?
A:You must follow your organisation’s application process. If you work for an NHS trust you will find the process in the trust’snon-medical prescribingpolicy. Your non-medical prescribing lead must approve your application. The approval process verifies that there is a service need for you to be a prescriber and that your organisation has the clinical governance frameworks in place to support you through the programme and once you are a qualified prescriber. This is an NMC/HCPC requirement. You must have this process in place before applying– this is your responsibility. We are unable to offer programme places without full approval. Your trust or organisation’s non-medical prescribing policy is often a useful place to find out what its process is for applying for a prescribing programme.
IF YOU FAIL TO FOLLOW THIS PROCESS YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE PROGRESSED.
The following individuals lead non-medical prescribing in the local NHS trusts and are happy to discuss your application with you.
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Linda Johnstone, Lead Nurse,medicine management andnon-medical
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Eileen Aylott, Assistant Director ofNursing, workforce and clinical standards
County Durham and DarlingtonNHS Foundation Trust
For AHP’S only your non-medical prescribing lead is Sarah Nicholson, Medicines Management Lead
For nurses only, your non-medical prescribing lead is Sharon Morgan
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (community)
Alda Hummelink, Lead Pharmacist, Integrated Care Services Directorate Medicine (Community)
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (acute)
Julie Clennell, Associate Director of Risk & Clinical Governance
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Paul Johnson, Nurse Consultant
South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust
Lesley Johnstone, Non-Medical Prescribing Lead
NewcastleUpon Tyne HospitalsNHS Foundation Trust
Lorna Clark, Non-Medical Prescribing Lead
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Mark Thomas, Lead Pharmacist
If you are not employed by an NHS trust, it is your responsibility to find out who has responsibility for the clinical governance arrangements associated with non-medical prescribing in your organisation.
As detailed above your manager or clinical lead is responsible for confirming your clinical competence and for verifying that you meet the NMC/HCPC requirements to prescribe – these are detailed online. Your manager or clinical lead must respond to the email sent about your application form.
Your manager or clinical leadmustalso confirm that you will be supported to have the NMC/HCPCrequired 12 dayssupernumerary supervised practice.
Q: Why do I need to include the name and email of my manager, designated medical practitioner and my organisation’s non-medical prescribing leadon my application form?
A:We need these contact detailsso we can contact your representatives to verify their support of your application. You won’t be offered a place until we have these approvals. It is your responsibility to check that your representatives have responded. Please ensure that you provide correct email addresses for your representatives – failure to do so may delay the application process. Please ensure these individuals have received our email and encourage a response.
Q: Why do I need a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) which has been undertaken within the last three years?
A:This is a professional body requirement. If you don’t have this in place you must arrange it before a place is offered. It must be enhanced for working with children and/or adults and must be in date for the duration of your programme and at the point we inform your professional body that you have completed the programme. Your manager is required to provide us with your DBS number along with a dated email verifying their support for you to take the programme. It is your responsibility to check this is in place; often it will be you who will advise us of the details we require for this requirement. We require your DBS certificate number and the date of issue. NHS trusts are aware of these requirements and are prepared for confirming DBS checks. You are required to declare any criminal convictions on your application form. You are also required to confirm that there are no changes to your DBS at the end of the programme.
Q: Why do I need to undertake the maths entry test?
A: Our programme has been approved by the NMC/HCPC on the basisof you being able to evidence that you meet the threshold for maths to gain entry to the programme. You are required to contact the admissions team to book onto one of the test dates as directed on the website. The library learning hub succeed@tees drug calculations workshops may be useful at the following link:
Q: Why do I need to provide detailed information about my role in my personal statement?
A: For us to make a decision about the appropriateness of prescribing to your role, you need to fully explain your role and how you will use prescribing to enhance patient care.You must include all details about your employment including dates, and your past and current academic study. There must be a strong case for you to be a prescriber and there must be evidence of a clinical need within your role for this.
Please note:
To avoid delays please state in your application if you have been unsuccessful on a previous prescribing programme. You are required to declare this as directed by NMC/HCPC.
Educational audits are undertaken for all students who undertake a professional programme. So we can check this, be specific about the name of your placement – even if is this your usual work environment. Please include as much detail as possible in your application.
We cannot consider your application without clear evidence that you have followed the information detailed in this document.
We would very much advise you to refer to the NMC (2018)/HCPC (2013) Standards for Prescribing documents before you apply for this programme.The links are detailed below:
NMC
HCPC