Advanced / Specialist Nurse Prescribing of Blood Components

Introduction

An amendment of Section 130 of the 1968 Medicines Act by regulation 25 of the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations (2005) resulted in Blood Components being excluded from the Medicines Act (1968) and the subsequent Human Medicines Regulations (2012). The effect of the amendment is to exclude blood components from the legal definition of medicinal products. Therefore, although the term ‘prescription’ of blood components is the accepted word, and this has traditionally been regarded as the responsibility of a medical practitioner, there are no legal barriers to other trained, competent, registered practitioners ordering, authorising and administering blood components. There is also no requirement, therefore that these nurses have completed a nurse prescribing module.

The framework document “A Framework to Support Nurses and Midwives Making the Clinical Decision and Providing the Written Instruction for Blood Component Transfusion” (Green and Pirie 2009) was published following a multidisciplinary workshop in October 2008. It was developed in response to the changing needs of the patient and in recognition that services to patients could be improved by more effectively using the knowledge and expertise of experienced nurses and midwives. Its intention was to provide clearly defined guidance to experienced nurses and midwives who wished to extend their role to include making the clinical decision for blood component transfusion and providing the written instruction in a safe and appropriate manner.

This Policy sets out the framework adopted by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) for the development and management of non-medical authorisers of blood components to ensure a consistent and structured approach across the whole organisation.

Policy Details