Prescribing Guidance and Standards for Healthcare Professionals

About this course

This course helps healthcare professionals understand their duty to prescribe safely, ethically and effectively. It covers prescribing responsibilities, avoiding common errors, refraining from self-prescribing or prescribing for family and friends, and following the standards set by the UK regulators. The focus throughout is on person-centred care, accountability and handling fitness to practise concerns.

Prescribing in the UK is no longer the preserve of doctors and dentists. Nurses, midwives, pharmacists, paramedics, physiotherapists, podiatrists, therapeutic radiographers, optometrists and others can qualify as prescribers, and from September 2026 newly registering pharmacists join the register as independent prescribers. Whatever their profession, every prescriber is expected to meet the same core competencies and to take full responsibility for their decisions.

Please note: this course provides general guidance on prescribing principles and professional standards. It is not a substitute for current national formularies, manufacturer information, MHRA safety communications or local clinical guidelines. Always prescribe within your competence and check the latest authoritative sources, such as the BNF and BNF for Children and your regulator's guidance, for specific drugs, doses and clinical decisions.

CPD Value and How to Record It:

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

• Understand the responsibilities and ethical principles of safe prescribing.
• Learn how to assess patient needs and make informed prescribing decisions.
• Identify common prescribing errors and the strategies that prevent them.
• Explore guidance for prescribing to vulnerable groups, including children, older adults and pregnant patients.
• Develop cultural competence to meet diverse patient needs and improve communication.
• Understand the ethical and regulatory considerations for controlled substances and high-risk medicines.
• Learn how to manage complaints, inquiries and investigations linked to prescribing.
• Create a personal development plan to identify strengths, address gaps and set goals for continuous improvement.

Who this course is for

Prescribers in the UK: doctors, dentists, nurse and midwife prescribers, pharmacist prescribers, prescribing allied health professionals and optometrist prescribers, including those responding to a prescribing concern.

Course content

10 sections · 2 CPD hours · 15 MCQs

Course facts

CPD value

Approximately 2 CPD hours (estimated learning time, including reflection and assessment)

Format

Self-paced reading with prescribing cases, reflection points, a personal development plan and a written reflective account

Standards covered

GMC prescribing guidance; Competency Framework for all Prescribers; NMC, GPhC, HCPC, GDC and GOC expectations; controlled drugs law; MHRA safety measures; remote prescribing principles

Assessment

15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions; pass mark 12 out of 15 (80%)

Questions about this course