Supplementary prescribing: potential ways to reform hospital psychiatric care

The objective of this study was to explore perceptions held by nurses and psychiatrists towards the potential application of supplementary prescribing on acute psychiatric wards. Six focus groups were conducted with 19 nurses and seven psychiatrists who worked on three wards. Two major themes were identified: first, ways in which patients could receive care and treatment through supplementary prescribing and in new forms of partnership and second, ways by which nurses and psychiatrists could be organized to deliver their care through a supplementary prescribing framework. Nurses and psychiatrists were generally positive about the advent of prescribing and offered positive views as to how patient care could be improved and a general willingness for nurses to adapt and work differently. Findings from this exploratory study offer practical solutions to how supplementary prescribing could work on acute psychiatric wards.