Paramedics to Gain Prescription Authority Under New Health Minister Initiative

Simeon Brown, the Health Minister, revealed a plan permitting paramedics who complete specialised training to prescribe from a catalogue of 232 medicines covering typical infections and urgent-care requirements, plus repeat prescriptions for long-term illnesses. Jon Moores, deputy chief executive of clinical services at St John, described the list as sensible and aligned with what paramedics encounter in the field. The programme includes robust safeguards, including postgraduate-level education, certification, peer review, auditing and oversight by a medical director.

Moores stressed that only a limited number of specialist paramedics will undergo the training, so routine ambulance operations should remain unchanged. Paramedics already work across various settings such as clinics, hospitals and tele-health, and the new prescribing powers will give them additional tools to support patients. The first cohort of paramedic prescribers is slated to begin practising in late 2027.