Social care nurses will be able to prescribe drugs in major change by Wes Streeting

Social care nurses will be able to prescribe medicines in a major reform aimed at upskilling the nation's carers.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is launching a pilot which could pave the way for carers across England to be offered the chance to gain the extra qualification allowing them to prescribe drugs. It is a win for the Mirror ’s the Fair Care for All campaign calling for a properly resourced social care service, run by staff with improved pay and training. The new training will allow social care nurses to prescribe medicines for a range of conditions like cardiovascular disease, infections and end of life care.

Mr Streeting said: “Funding these qualifications highlights the critical role social care nurses will play in the major shift in care out of hospital, as we build an NHS fit for the future.

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“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.”

The Mirror’s Fair Care for All campaign is demanding that the social care system be fixed and made available to those who need it. A key demand was a fair deal for care workers including better pay and training.

Lynn Woolsey, chief officer at the Royal College of Nursing, said: “This plan rightly recognises the role of registered nurses as highly skilled, safety critical clinicians. Supporting them to prescribe can not only help keep people safe and well in their communities but also ease pressures on hospital services."

The pilot will start in seven areas of the country and be trialled with 150 nurses to look at how it frees up doctors’ time and helps elderly people stay out of hospital. If successful it could be rolled out nationally next year.

Mr Streeting added: “The future of healthcare lies in the community, not just in hospitals. 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 to take the burden off under-pressure hospitals.”

The qualification contributes to nurses’ Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which supports career progression and may support future promotions.

Over the last decade shop sales assistants have become better paid than many social care workers as their pay has fallen behind inflation. It has contributed to many experienced carers quitting.

Since coming to power Labour implemented the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care workers to help reverse this trend.

The new pilot follows a move by the Government to embed social care placements in nursing degrees. This is part of a series of measures to professionalise the social care workforce and provide more opportunities for learning and career progression.

Deborah Sturdy, Chief Adult Social Care Nurse for England, 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.”

Successive governments have ditched or delayed plans to reform funding for social care, leaving many going without vital care and worsening pay and conditions for carers.

After Labour won power last year it launched the Casey Review of adult social care to tackle the thorny issue of how the country should pay to care for its elderly. The first phase is expected to be complete by 2026 and will focus on changes that can be made over the medium term within existing resources. The second phase will report by 2028 and will consider “the long-term transformation of adult social care”.

The Government has been criticised for delaying fundamental reform of social care until the next Parliament. Delivering the review’s recommendations may be dependent on Labour winning a second term in power.