Health secretary Alan Milburn has announced new powers to nurses to prescribe drugs. Under the new plans antibiotics will be added to the list of medicines that those with training can prescribe for the first time.

Forum Response: Royal College of Nursing

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Nursing told ePolitix.com: "Patients will certainly benefit from this announcement. Nurse prescribing is cost effective and ensures that patient treatment can start quickly. International evidence shows that appropriately trained nurses are safe prescribers.

"The Royal College of Nursing firmly believes that modernising the NHS can only work with wider extensions to nurse prescribing, and we will continue to lobby to ensure that specialist nurses can bring the best care to patients."