Wolverhampton out-of-hours nurses qualify as non-medical prescribers
A team of out of hours nurses have expanded their skill set to improve patient care at a Wolverhampton NHS trust.
Joanna Lymperopoulou, LaSandra Thompson, Catherine O’Hara, who are part of the out of hours nurse practitioner (ONP) team at New Cross Hospital, have become qualified non-medical prescribers.
This means they can visit wards during the hours of 5pm-7am Monday-Friday and 24/7 at the weekend, and prescribe medication, rather than waiting for the next morning when a doctor or nurse practitioner starts their shift.
LaSandra said working in the team was very rewarding.
She said: “Working in the ONP team is great as we all have different specialty background, and it does work well as we all can draw from each other’s knowledge. We support all staff that need our help and this in turns give efficient patient care.
“Patients are at the heart of what we do so it’s important for us to show that we have additional skills, so we can improve their care all the time. Our job can be hard and tiring but it’s worth it.”
Catherine moved into the team five years ago, having previously worked in paediatrics, neonatal and the emergency department.
She said: “I liked the idea of not being based in one area and being able to use my experience and knowledge across many areas in the trust, assisting, teaching and training more junior staff along the way. Hopefully in the future the team can expand to cover more wards.
“Having completed the non-medical prescribing course last year the three of us hope to extend what the team can offer - providing timely care to patients, taking some of the pressure off the doctors.
“We have an agreed formulary of drugs we'd be happy to prescribe, with the focus being on pain relief, ongoing treatment such as fluids and short-term symptom control.”
Before joining the nurse practitioner team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Joanna was a staff nurse working on the medical wards.
She said: “As an ONP I had the opportunity to complete the prescribing course which will enable me to improve patients’ care as I will be able to prescribe within my competencies and help patients access their medication in a timelier manner.”
