Summary

1. Approximately 160 nurses and pharmacists are currently enrolled on a ‘All Wales’ Supplementary Prescribing training course

2. The course is multi-professional and requires 15 days attendance plus additional self-directed learning utilising ‘All Wales’ distance learning materials

3. Each designated supervising medical practitioner must attend a one day training event in preparation for the role

4. Those in training come from a broad spectrum of nursing and pharmacy practice which will enable the value of supplementary Prescribing to be tested in a range of situations

Summary

Skin cancer represents a significant health problem in the white adult population. Nurses have a responsibility in health promotion and disease prevention for patients at risk of developing the most common form of skin cancer, the basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

BCC is managed using a combination of primary and secondary disease prevention strategies. These are education and screening of at-risk individuals in the community. Self-screening within the home, as well as opportunistic screening by health professionals, is deemed the most cost-effective strategy in the UK. Nurses, therefore, have a responsibility to educate patients about sun awareness, sun protection and early recognition of cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions. A number of treatment options are available for basal cell carcinoma with the decision to treat based on clinical appearance, histological examination, previous medical history and patient choice. Nurse, through the use of patient group directions and prescribing, can help to ensure the most appropriate treatment for individual patients.

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