Chief Professions Officers’ medicines mechanisms programme

A scoping project was undertaken in 2015 by NHS England which looked at the need for some regulated health professions to supply, administer and prescribe medicines to their patients. The report of the project made a number of recommendations, and the Chief Professions Officers’ Medicines Mechanisms (CPOMM) programme of work started in April 2017 to take forward the recommendations.

We are leading UK-wide consultations on proposals to change the medicines responsibilities for eight health professions, as follows:

  • enabling dental hygienists and dental therapists to supply and administer specific medicines under exemptions within medicines legislation
  • enabling biomedical scientists, clinical scientists and operating department practitioners to supply and administer medicines using patient group directions
  • amending the current lists of controlled drugs that podiatrist and physiotherapist independent prescribers are legally able to prescribe
  • amending the list of medicines that paramedics can administer in emergency situations using exemptions within medicines legislation.

All the proposals share the same aim, to make it more convenient and safer for patients to get the medicines they need at the time and place when they need them. This will reduce the need for appointments with additional health professionals just to receive the medicines needed, which often results in unnecessary delays to the start of treatment.

The consultations have now closed. We have received over 5,000 responses which will be analysed and considered to inform the next stage in the development and delivery of these proposed changes which is to present the proposals to the Commission on Human Medicines.

Any queries can be sent to england.cpomedicinesmech@nhs.net.

Read a letter from Suzanne Rastrick: Proposals for more efficient and responsive access to medicines for patients.

Consultation documents

Dental hygienists and dental therapists:

Biomedical scientists:

Clinical scientists:

Operating department practitioners:

Podiatrist independent prescribers:

Physiotherapist independent prescribers:

Paramedics: