Earlier this week the UK government published an open consultation on its proposal to extend medicines responsibilities for Diagnostic Radiographers and other healthcare professionals.
While regulated healthcare professionals have been taking on responsibilities for prescribing, supplying and administering medicines for many years, this proposal also suggests a change to the medicines regulations relating to physiotherapists, paramedics, and operating department practitioners, as well as permitting Diagnostic Radiographers to train as independent prescribers.
This would enable Diagnostic Radiographer practitioners working at an enhanced, advanced or consultant (EAC) level to train to become independent prescribers of medicines.
The state of play
Diagnostic Radiographers are currently able to train as supplementary prescribers, enabling them to prescribe any medicine that is referred to within a patient’s clinical management plan (CMP). However, the proposal outlines that, in practice, this role is rarely used, as “the use of CMPs is not appropriate in the majority of diagnostic interventions.”
Under this proposal, all EAC Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)-registered Diagnostic Radiographers with the required experience, job role and governance oversight who have completed an HCPC-approved post-registration independent prescribing programme would be eligible to work as independent prescribers once annotated on the HCPC register.
In practice, prescribing will largely apply to prescription-only medicines commonly used in clinical imaging, including: intravenous iodine-based and gadolinium-based contrast media; intravenous antispasmodics; oral bowel preparations and contrast agents; and intravenous saline.
'A valuable intervention'
A 2015 NHS submission to the Commission for Human Medicines to permit all radiographers to train as independent prescribers did not extend this right to Diagnostic Radiographers, only permitting Therapeutic Radiographers at the time. However, following attempts to address concerns raised by the Commission for Human Medicines, in 2021, the commission updated its recommendation to extend this right to Diagnostic Radiographers.
The current consultation emphasises: “Initial engagement with relevant professional bodies and regulators suggests that the proposal does not need updating and represents a valuable intervention to make it more convenient and safer for patients to get the medicines they need at the time and place they need them.”
As demand for clinical imaging continues to rise, the need to allow radiographers to prescribe medicines will too, it added. Many services are now radiographer-led, but they must rely on other professionals to prescribe medicines.
Improving outcomes and reducing pressure
Independent prescribing will allow Diagnostic Radiographers in Extended Advanced Clinical (EAC) roles to assess patients and prescribe medications within their scope of practice. This capability would provide timely access to appropriate interventions, enhance patient care and experience, and enable them to work more flexibly and autonomously, thereby increasing their contribution to the multidisciplinary team.
It concluded that this will reduce the risk of interrupted care, rebooked appointments and diagnostic delays – ultimately helping to improve outcomes and reduce pressure on radiologists.
Independent prescribing will also facilitate the development of innovative, patient-centred pathways, enabling radiographer-led services to offer more holistic care.
Open call
This consultation is undertaken by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in relation to England, Wales and Scotland, in conjunction with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland in relation to Northern Ireland.
It represents a further step in the government’s actions to build upon the work of the Chief Professions Officers’ Medicines Mechanisms Programme (CPOMM) and other regulatory changes delivered over many years.
The consultation is open to any individual respondent who lives or works in the UK and organisations that operate or provide services in the UK.
The SoR is encouraging all UK-based members, whether radiographers, support workers, educators, associate professionals, trainees, students or in another role, to take a few minutes to complete the online survey before it closes at 11.59pm on 28 October 2025.
To complete the online survey, follow the link here.
To find out more information about the proposed changes, please click here.