Public consultation opens on proposed prescribing endorsement for registered nurses

25 Jul 2018

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) is inviting feedback on a proposed new prescribing endorsement for registered nurses.

Today the NMBA opened public consultation on the proposed Registration standard: Endorsement for scheduled medicines for registered nurses prescribing in partnership and Guidelines: For registered nurses applying for and with the endorsement for scheduled medicines – prescribing in partnership. Nurses, health professionals and the public are encouraged to provide feedback through an online survey, which is open until Friday 21 September 2018. 

The NMBA has powers under section 94 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act, as in force in each state and territory, to endorse the registration of a registered health practitioner with regards to scheduled medicines.

On recommendation from the Health Workforce Principal Committee, the NMBA has worked with the Australian and New Zealand Council of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers (ANZCCNMO) to explore potential models of prescribing to determine a model for an endorsement to enable registered nurses (RNs) to prescribe scheduled medicines.

The NMBA and ANZCCNMO have consulted with governments, key nursing stakeholders, nurses and consumers to formulate the basis for the proposed new registration standard. 

NMBA Chair, Associate Professor Lynette Cusack, said that the proposed endorsement will help Australian health care services to meet the growing health care needs of the population.

‘RNs are the largest number of health professionals in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. They work in all sectors of health care and 18 per cent work in outer regional, remote or very remote locations. The proposed endorsement will give this vital profession further ability to meet the growing needs of our communities.’

The draft registration standard and accompanying guidelines are now open for public consultation and all interested parties are encouraged to give feedback.

‘The NMBA has developed the draft registration standard from the best evidence, including national and international literature reviews, as well as stakeholder consultation over several years,’ Associate Professor Cusack said.

‘Now we’d like to hear from nurses, the other health professions and the wider public – you can have your say by reading the consultation documents and then completing our short survey.’

The consultation documents, including a background paper, the draft proposed registration standard and guidelines, are available on the Current consultations section of the NMBA website. Feedback is invited through a survey on the consultation page. The consultation closes on 28 September 2018.

For more information:

• Please read the consultation documents and take the survey on the NMBA website: http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/News/Current-Consultations.aspx
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200
• Visit the NMBA website
• Lodge an online enquiry form
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers)