NMC agree to adopt refreshed Royal Pharmaceutical Society Competency Framework for All Prescribers

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s competency framework is the basis of our education and practice standards for prescribing. We first adopted it in 2019, to replace our standards of proficiency for nurse and midwife prescribers (2006).

The RPS competency framework sets out the skills and knowledge any registered professional needs to be registered to prescribe. It also makes explicit our expectations for good, safe and effective nursing and midwifery prescribing practice.

The RPS have recently refreshed the framework. Council have formally agreed to adopt the refreshed framework, and a timescale for implementation.

All Approved Educational Institutions (AEIs) must confirm their approved prescribing programmes meet the refreshed framework no later than 1 September 2022. This will be done through the 2022 Annual Self-Reporting process. We are also asking our existing prescribers to familiarise themselves with refreshed standards.

Professor Geraldine Walters, Executive Director of Professional Practice, said:

"The RPS framework provides the foundation for safe and effective prescribing practice for professionals on our register. Nurse and midwife prescribers can use it to inform their day to day practice, and in revalidation to identify continuing professional development needs.

"It is also an excellent way of fostering multidisciplinary team working by ensuring consistent standards for prescribing across all professional groups.”

Other recent news…