Independent prescribing by nurses has been dubbed a success, according to a major study from the government.

The report, published by the department of health, stated that between two per cent and three per cent of both the nursing and pharmacist workforce was qualified to prescribe the medicines independently.

Furthermore, the Nursing Times reported that the practice is now a "widely integrated form of health service delivery."

Of these qualified people, 93 per cent have used their independent prescribing status previously, and 86 per cent confirmed they used it currently. For pharmacists, the comparative figures stand at 80 per cent and 71 per cent respectively.

These figures may please those in nurse manager jobs; who might be proud to confirm their staff have used their prescriptive powers to help patients.

The government report went on to state that around 16,000 nurses are eligible to prescribe, with most in primary care but some located in hospitals and other settings. The report also claimed that nurse and pharmacist prescribing is "currently safe and clinically appropriate."

It added: "They are working in the vast majority of trusts in England and work in approximately one in three GP practices in primary care and one in four words and outpatient departments in secondary care settings."

However one medical expert who wasn't so sure about the news, Professor Alison Blenkinsopp, told GP Online that more GP support was required for nurse prescribers who worked across several practices.