The plans are part of a move by Health Secretary Wes Streeting to shift treatment away from hospitals and into the community
More nurses will be qualified to prescribe medicines to social care patients to keep them out of hospital and free up beds for the NHS, The i Paper can reveal.
The government is to pay for adult social care nurses to receive training that will allow them to give antibiotics for infections, cardiovascular medicine and end of life care to the elderly and other social care patients in care homes and at home.
The move is part of the government’s 10-year health plan to shift treatment into the community and free up hospital beds for emergency cases.
Social care nurses can already undertake qualifications to allow them to prescribe medicines, but under a pilot scheme the government will fund this training. This will then be rolled out nationwide across England, it is envisaged.
Giving trained social care nurses more powers to prescribe is also designed to free up doctors’ time to treat patients in hospital, as well as speed up discharges – one of the major problems that causes delays in the NHS, particularly during winter.
Elderly people who are in need of support are normally given social care plans to be looked after either at home or in care homes, where their conditions are managed by care staff and any prescriptions are made by doctors.
But if that person becomes ill or develops a new condition, such as a chest infection or UTI, and they struggle to see a GP, they are often sent to hospital.
In other cases, elderly people are discharged from hospital into a care home or their own home but still require ongoing supervision, such as pain management or a review of their medication.
Under the new plans, social care nurses would be able to take responsibility for prescribing their medicines.
A nurse in a care home could, for example, prescribe antibiotics to an elderly patient with a chest infection which would ensure they were quickly treated, and potentially improve their outlook and prevent deterioration of the condition.
Nurse prescribing will also contribute to pain management and the assessment skills in reviewing medications which is important in managing fragility and co morbidities.
There have recently been concerns raised about patients being treated by physician associates or pharmacy technicians who are not fully qualified doctors or pharmacists.
However, the training would mean social care nurses receive full qualifications to prescribe medicines.
Integrated care boards, which run local NHS services, are being invited to express an interest in running the pilot, which will cost the government £461,000 to fund the qualifications of around 150 nurses initially.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the move would boost the nursing profession by improving the qualifications and skills of nurses.
The move is also likely to bolster ministers’ position in future negotiations with the Royal College of Nursing, who are expected this week to reject the government’s 3.6 per cent pay offer.
Streeting said: “The future of healthcare lies in the community, not just in hospitals – and that is what our Plan for Change will deliver.
“I know the extraordinary, skilled and compassionate work that nurses in social care already do – and now we’re backing them with funding for advanced training and a qualification.
“Our neighbourhood health service, as part of our 10 Year Health Plan, will meet and treat people where they are, on their doorstep or even in their home – taking the burden off under-pressure hospitals.
“Crucially this is about recognising the value of our multi-disciplinary workforce, upskilling and empowering them to do more – boosting productivity and efficiency – to the benefit of patients across the country.
“And funding these qualifications highlights the critical role social care nurses will play in this major shift in care out of hospital, as we build an NHS fit for the future.”
Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse Adult Social Care, said: “This pilot is a crucial step in boosting the careers of nurses in adult social care.
“By giving them the tools to prescribe, we’re recognising their clinical expertise and opening up new pathways for progression.
“It’s about building a more skilled, confident workforce with a greater voice in how care is delivered — and ensuring nursing in social care is seen as a modern, rewarding, and valued career choice.”
The plans are in addition to the independent commission into the future of adult social care, being chaired by Baroness Casey.
The government has also pledged to set up a National Care Service.
The new pilot follows the government’s announcement last week to embed social care placements in nursing degrees, alongside a series of measures to professionalise the social care workforce and provide more opportunities for learning and development.