Find out more about our current campaigns and how you can support the Speech and Language profession

Page content

The Campaign

The #PrescribingNow campaign is calling on the UK Government to use the powers it has under the Medicines and Medical Devices Act (2021) to extend independent prescribing responsibilities to dietitians, occupational therapists, orthoptists, diagnostic radiographers, and speech and language therapists where it is safe and appropriate to do so within the scope of their professional practice. 

The campaign is a partnership between the British Dietetic Association, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, the British and Irish Orthoptic Society, the Society of Radiographers, and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. 

It builds on the collective work these organisations did during the passage through Parliament of the Medicines and Medical Devices Act when MPs and peers advocated for us to be granted prescribing responsibilities. 

The #PrescribingNow campaign is supported by the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists as prosthetists and orthotists will be seeking independent prescribing responsibilities in the future. 

 

Progress of the Prescribing Now Campaign 

As many of you know, this campaign has been a key priority for us, and we continue to push for progress in delivering a more streamlined and efficient healthcare system. 

With the new government focus on improving patient care and alleviating workforce pressures, we are hopeful that this will lead to meaningful action in extending prescribing responsibilities across more AHPs. 

We have recently written again to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to emphasise the urgent need to begin the process of extending prescribing responsibilities. In our letter, we reiterated the many benefits that come with this change, including improving patient care, reducing unnecessary delays, and alleviating the administrative burden on both doctors and AHPs. 

The Next Steps 

We have been working closely to build on the issues raised during the passage of the Medicines and Medical Devices Act. Our focus is now on ensuring that the Government initiates a formal review of the current prescribing processes and implements the reforms needed to empower more AHPs with prescribing responsibilities. 

We need your continued support in this campaign, and we encourage you to write to your MPs, outlining the importance of this reform and its impact on patient care. Your voices are crucial in keeping this issue at the forefront of the government’s healthcare agenda. 

How You Can Help 

  • Write to your MP: Use the template email to reach out to your local MP. If you prefer to write than email, you can send our template letter. Personalised communications have a greater impact, so do share your experiences as an AHP 
  • Spread the word: Encourage your colleagues to join the campaign and raise awareness about the benefits of extending prescribing rights. The more support we have, the stronger our collective voice. 
  • Stay engaged: We will continue to provide updates on any developments. Please keep an eye on our website for more information on how you can contribute to the campaign’s success. 

Thank you for your ongoing support.

We are united in our call for reform, and your continued support is invaluable. Together, we can deliver real, positive change for both healthcare professionals and patients across the NHS. If you have any questions or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact peter.just@rcslt.org or elissa.cregan@rcslt.org  

Campaign Resources

We have developed a number of resources to help you support the #PrescribingNow campaign

If you are an SLT, OT, dietitian, diagnostic radiographer, orthoptist, orthotist or prosthetist, you can:

          1. Take part in our e-action  to contact your MP
          2. Download our Toolkit to learn more about how you can support #PrescribingNow
          3. Download the #PrescribingNow Logos to use on social media
          4. Download our template letter to send to your MP to send to your local MP. You can find your local MP using the postcode checker below




If you are another healthcare professional

If you are another healthcare professional who supports our call, you can also use the material above – tailor the letter to your MP by highlighting why you support us being granted independent prescribing responsibilities and why it would help you.

If you are an MP

14 October 2024

To mark AHPs Day, a delegation from the Prescribing Now coalition handed in a letter to the Department of Health and Social Care calling on Wes Streeting, the Health and Social Care Secretary, to begin the process of extending independent prescribing responsibilities to us.

20 August 2024

Update from the Prescribing Now coalition (PDF) (August 2024)

14 November  2023 – College of Operating Department Practitioners joins #PrescribingNow Coalition

In an important advancement for the #PrescribingNow campaign, the College of Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) have  joined our coalition calling on the UK Government to begin the process of extending independent prescribing responsibilities to more allied health professionals (AHPs).

ODP is a highly specialized field focusing on perioperative care and patient support. This discipline, crucial within the surgical team, is dedicated to exceptional patient care.

19 February 2024 – Institute of Osteopathy joins #PrescribingNow Coalition

In a significant boost for the #PrescribingNow campaign, the Institute of Osteopathy has joined our coalition. This move strengthens our call for the UK Government to extend independent prescribing powers to more allied health professionals (AHPs). Among the 14 AHPs, osteopaths stand out for their expertise in the musculoskeletal system, contributing significantly to both NHS and private care. Specialising in the musculoskeletal system, osteopaths use their expertise to diagnose, manage, and prevent health issues through manipulation, stretching, and massaging of muscles and joints.

20 February 2024 – Coalition marks its first birthday with a renewed call for extending prescribing responsibilities to AHPs

In February 2023, the British Dietetic Association, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, the British and Irish Orthoptic Society, the Society of Radiographers, and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, launched the #PrescribingNow campaign. The coalition has since been joined by the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists, the College of Operating Department Practitioners and more recently by the Institute of Osteopathy.

1 year update

  • The coalition has continued to grow
  • Numerous MPs have tabled written questions or written to ministers.
  • Coalition letters to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care remain unanswered in February 2023 and September 2023. So do letters from individual organisations.
  • In December 2023, the House of Lords Integration of Primary and Community Care Committee recommended, ‘More community disciplines should be given independent prescribing and referral rights, going further than the recently announced plans from the government for pharmacists
  • On the 6th of February, Lord Bradley held an Oral Question, and the responses from the government were encouraging on the principle of extending prescribing responsibilities to more AHPs.

More needs to be done: more clarity is urgently needed on timing

While the Oral Question responses are encouraging on the principle of extending independent prescribing responsibilities to more allied health professionals – and RCSLT is very pleased to see the Government’s keenness to extend them to speech and language therapists specifically – more clarity is urgently needed on timing.

Next steps

As we mark the coalition’s first anniversary, the RCSLT is very grateful for all the support #Prescribingnow has generated over the past year. We will follow the Oral Question responses with the Government, and you can read the #PrescribingNow coalition’s briefing to support the question.

More information

For more information, please contact elissa.cregan@rcslt.org

Campaign to improve care for people living with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)

Our campaign, which we’re co-running alongside the Aphasia charity Dyscover, calls on the Government to include PPA in its list of conditions requiring nationally commissioned services through NHS England.

Why This Campaign Matters

Currently, services for people living with PPA are not commissioned at a national level, despite the recognition of PPA as a rare condition by NHS England. This has led to a postcode lottery, where access to vital care and support can vary greatly depending on where you live. For individuals with PPA and their families, this lack of specialist care creates significant barriers to diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing support.

The RCSLT and Dyscover are calling for PPA to be included in the list of conditions requiring nationally commissioned services through NHS England. This change would ensure that everyone living with PPA has access to the same level of care, no matter their location.

 

Get involved

You can help support this campaign by writing to your local MP
using our e- action 






For MPs

Thank you for your interest in better support for people with PPA and their families. Please use this template letter for contacting Wes Streeting.

1  of  4