Proposed amendments to the designated pharmacist prescriber specified prescription medicines list

The current list of 1,722 prescription medicines has been in effect since the Medicines (Designated Pharmacist—Prescribers) Regulations passed into legislation in June 2013 (updated 8 October 2021 and 27 May 2022). Since then, additional medicines have become available in New Zealand, to which wider access would benefit patients. The list needs to be amended to reflect these additional medicines.

Following work with pharmacist prescribers and the Ministry, the Pharmacy Council recommends 21 prescription medicines, and vaccines as a medicine class, should be added to the schedule of the Medicines (Designated Pharmacist Prescribers) Regulations 2013.

Schedule 1B of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977 specifies 28 controlled drugs that may be prescribed by designated pharmacist prescribers. This consultation does not propose any changes to the schedule of controlled drugs that pharmacist prescribers are permitted to prescribe.

Designated pharmacist prescribers have met specific requirements and are registered in an additional scope of practice by the Pharmacy Council. 

Pharmacy Council also sets expected levels of competence and requirements for entry into the pharmacist prescriber scope. Requirements include:

• holding an annual practising certificate in the Pharmacist scope of practice
• having at least two years of recent and appropriate post-registration experience working in a collaborative patient-facing health care team environment relevant to the area of practice in which they plan to prescribe
• holding a qualification prescribed by the Pharmacy Council for entry into the Pharmacist Prescriber scope (eg, a postgraduate certificate in prescribing)
• the course content must include clinical reasoning and decision-making, physical assessment and diagnostic skills, the 'mechanics' of prescribing, pharmacoeconomic considerations, and completion of a practicum with a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner
• the practicum must demonstrate knowledge to safely prescribe specified prescription medicines and knowledge of the regulatory framework for prescribing
• submission of a practice plan which is endorsed by the clinical lead of their collaborative health care team
• review of practice and submission of a new or modified practice plan if the prescriber amends or expands their defined area of practice or changes the collaborative team in which they work
• a declaration that their current practice meets relevant standards from the Competence Standards for the Pharmacy Profession, and all the Pharmacist Prescriber Competence Standards.

Additional information on designated pharmacist prescribers can be found on the Pharmacy Council website.