Mental health nurse prescribing: the emerging impact
Authors: Ross J. D. 
Published: June 2015

Accessible summary

Some mental health nurses have now been prescribing for their clients for several years. When suitably qualified they can prescribe the same range of medication as medical staff. Concern was expressed that nurse prescribers might become more like doctors and as a result would sacrifice their nursing skills.

The views of those who have their medication prescribed by mental health nurses as well as views of nurse prescribers, pharmacist prescribers, nurse managers and doctors were explored by using interviews and focus groups. Most participants saw the inclusion of prescribing in the nursing role as a benefit to clients. Rather than detracting from the nurse patient relationship, results from this study suggest that the nurse patient relationship was improved and more holistic care was provided.

Nurse prescribing is well received by those who have experienced it.

As nurse prescribing effects a change of power dynamics this could result in the need for less involvement of the medical profession in clients' care. As clients found nurses easier to talk to about their medication than doctors, medication concordance could be increased. Medication reconciliation could also be increased as medications no longer required by clients were more likely to be reduced or stopped by nurse prescribers. Discontinuing medication may indicate a new culture around mental health nurse prescribing. It may be that this trend has an impact on future service provision to clients. Results suggest that clients prefer to have their medication prescribed by nurses.

Mental health nurse prescribing has been established in some areas in the UK for quite some time. Other than speculation that nurse prescribing would have a detrimental effect on the nurse–patient relationship, little has been written about the impact of nurse prescribing to date. Bradley and Nolan found that prescribing allowed nurses to overcome difficulties in the health‐care system which would have previously delayed clients' access to medicines. Prescribing was believed to compliment many aspects of nursing and integrated previously diffuse aspects of the nursing role. Latter and Courtenay found that clients were generally satisfied with nurse prescribing. The aim of this study was to explore the impact mental health nurse prescribing has had on those involved. The views of clients, nurse prescribers, pharmacist prescribers, nurse managers and doctors were investigated. Questionnaires were used to gather demographic data and basic qualitative data. Focus groups and interviews were undertaken with 57 participants. The study was undertaken within one National Health Service Foundation Trust in England. Data analysis was guided by a framework approach. The majority of participants believed that the inclusion of prescribing in mental health nurses' roles improved the nurse–patient relationship, and five themes including the relationship, concordance, power, treatment approach and ‘unprescribing’ emerged. Trust was highly valued, and clients found nurses easier to talk to about their medication than doctors. Rather than detracting from the nurse–patient relationship, results from this study suggest that nurse prescribing enables mental health nurse prescribers to provide more holistic care than previously.