Reaccreditation of non-medical prescribers: maintaining competence

Abstract

There is no systematic and robust method to assess the competence of non-medical prescribers (NMPs) locally or nationally. NMPs have a responsibility to remain up to date with the knowledge and skills to enable them to prescribe competently and safely within their field of expertise. In 2012, the National Prescribing Centre developed a single competency framework for prescribers defining a set of nine dimensions within three domains that can be used to underpin personal responsibility for prescribing. The authors identified validated assessment tools using a literature search, and selected those suitable for mapping against the nine dimensions. It was hoped that trust NMPs could provide evidence of competence covering all three of the framework domains using the chosen tools. Five NMPs used the tools to create a portfolio and audited them for suitability in establishing a robust and credible evidence-led system to evaluate and accredit ongoing competence. Feedback on their ease of use and applicability was sought. Trust NMPs were then invited to a workshop where the evidence was presented and they were asked to comment on, and contribute to, finalising the tools before they were embedded within trust policy.