Prescribing resources

All the books listed below are freely available for RCPharm members to borrow from our e-Library. Go to the ‘prescribing’ section of this e-book page, where the books are located.

• Emmett, SR, Hill, NL and Dajas-Bailador, F, 2020 – Clinical pharmacology for prescribing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Explaining how drugs work in the treatment of common conditions, this book gives information about drug classes, their mechanisms and their effects on the body. It also highlights drug interactions and prescribing warnings.
• Nuttall, D and Rutt-Howard, J, eds., 2020 – The textbook of non-medical prescribing. Third edition. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell. This text covers all aspects of non-medical prescribing, with four key themes considered significant to the subject: public health, social and cultural issues, prescribing competencies and continuing professional development (CPD).
• Rawles, Z, Griffiths, B and Alexander, T, 2015 – Physical examination procedures for advanced practitioners and non-medical prescribers: evidence and rationale. Second edition. Boca Raton FL; London: CRC Press. Highlighting the procedures required for clinical examination, this book includes case studies and checklists to aid learning.
• Rutter, P, 2025 – Differential diagnosis for non-medical prescribers, nurses and pharmacists: a case-based approach. (S.l): Elsevier. This book provides case studies with accompanying clinical reasoning techniques to help you make a diagnosis. 

• The Pharmaceutical Journal: Research CPD and learning.
• Pharmaceutical Press: Range of materials designed to support prescribers 
• British National Formulary and the BNF for Children and BNF/BNFC apps.
• electronic medicines compendium: Summaries of product characteristics, patient information leaflets and risk management materials.
• GPnotebook: Reference tool for primary care medicine.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): Includes Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) and clinical prescribing guidelines.
• RCPharm e-Library: Members can always access our e-library completely free.
• Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network: Clinical prescribing guidelines.
• Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS): Useful medicines information.

• RCPharm – Medical devices guide.

• Lab Tests Online UK: Produced by the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Royal College of Pathologists and the Institute of Biomedical Science. Helping you understand clinical laboratory tests.
• SPS – Medicines Monitoring: Recommendations and guidance for medicines requiring monitoring.
• RCPharm – Pharmacovigilance guide: Your role in monitoring medicine safety.

• NHS Networks
• Primary Care Pharmacy Association
• UK Clinical Pharmacy Association

To support you in developing and refreshing your patient assessment and consultation skills, here are just some of them:

RCPharm 

• Confidence in consultation skills: Practical tips, tools and considerations to support good consultation behaviours.
• Clinical skills presentation
• Safeguarding
• Remote prescribing guidance

External

• Turas Learn: Shared decision-making tools and resources.
• CliniSkills: Skills training for community pharmacists.
• Geeky Medics: Clinical examination, communication, interpretation of investigations and prescribing information.
• OSCEstop: Resources for OSCE-type assessments.
• Oxford Medical Education: Education tool to support practical aspects of diagnosis and investigation.
• The Royal College of General Practitioners – Person-Centred Care toolkit.
• Hello My Name Is | A campaign for more compassionate care.
• Health Education England – Cultural Competence e-learning course.
• NHS Education for Scotland – The Health Literacy Place.
• GPhC – In practice: Guidance on consent.
  • GPhC – In practice: guidance on confidentiality.
  • GPhC – In practice: Guidance on religion, personal values and beliefs.

Here are some resources to support you with clinical checks, medicines reconciliation and medication reviews (list not exhaustive):

• RCPharm – Working in care homes.
• RCPharm – Administration of Medicines in Healthcare Settings.
• RCPharm – Clinical documentation guide.
• RCPharm – Counselling people on the use of medicines.
• RCPharm – Medication review and adherence.
• RCPharm – Medicines optimisation.
• RCPharm – Medicines reconciliation and medication history.
• RCPharm – Multi-compartment compliance aids.
• RCPharm – Polypharmacy.
• RCPharm – Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers.

• SPS – Example medicines to prescribe by brand name.
• NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) — Drug Tariff: What can be prescribed in England.
• NHSBSA – Knowledge Base: NHS Prescription Services.
• NHSBSA – Dictionary of medicines and devices: Information on prices, pack sizes, discontinued products, and packs available from manufacturers and suppliers.
• NHSBSA – Prescribing data: Explore trends in prescribing in England.

• RCPharm – Specials: Prescribing specials guide.

• RCPharm – Sustainability policies.
• RCPharm – Greener pharmacy guides and toolkit.
• Environment Agency – Waste classification technical guidance WM3 – updated September 2021 – managing waste.
• British Medical Association – Sustainable and environmentally friendly general practice report.
• Care Quality Commission – Disposing of medicines.
• NHS England – Green social prescribing.
• NICE – Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management – decision aid, including the carbon footprint of inhaler devices.
• Waste and Resources Action Programme – Medicines.

Check for training and funding available through local NHS organisations (integrated care boards (England), local health boards (Wales), NHS Scotland health boards (Scotland) or trusts).

RCPharm Learn has specific modules on prescribing to help you improve your practice.

Use our professional development plan guide to record your CPD.

For self-directed learning, you could use some of the training resources and providers below:

Courses

• NHS organisation bodies (e.g., NHS Education for Scotland, NHS England, Health Education and Improvement Wales).
• Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education – Prescribing.
• Red Whale: Learning created and delivered by practicing GPs, resources to support you in consultation and CPD.
• MORPh: Clinical training for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and trainees.

RCPharm webinars

• Independent prescribing showcase series
  • Independent prescribing showcase series 1: Common clinical conditions.
  • Independent prescribing showcase series 2: Prescribing for long term conditions.
  • Independent prescribing showcase series 3: The prescribing competency framework.
  • Independent prescribing showcase series 4: Prescribing within the multidisciplinary team.
• Prescribing webinar series
  • Prescribing webinar series: Assessing yourself as a prescriber – tools, frameworks and real-world insight.
  • Prescribing webinar series: Peer support.

• RCPharm – Antimicrobial stewardship e-book.
  • RCPharm – Penicillin allergy checklist: A checklist for pharmacists to inform conversations with patients about penicillin allergy.
  • RCPharm – Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship resources – resources helping to improve your antimicrobial use.
• RCGP – TARGET – antibiotics toolkit hub: TARGET stands for Treat Antibiotics Responsibly, Guidance, Education and Tools. It is a toolkit designed to support primary care clinicians to champion and implement antimicrobial stewardship activities.
• UK Health Security Agency and NHS England – Diagnosis of urinary tract infections: A reference tool for primary care.

• British Oncology Pharmacy Association (BOPA) – Let’s Communicate Cancer Series.
  • BOPA network.
• Cancer Research UK: Comprehensive resources to support your work, keep up to date with the latest developments in prevention and early diagnosis.
• Macmillan: Resources and tools to support healthcare professionals (HCPs).
• RCPharm – Controlled drugs guide: Provides all the information you need to dispense, supply, store, destroy and prescribe Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs (CDs).
  • RCPharm – Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care e-book.

• NHS England – Summary of national guidance for lipid management: Summary of national guidance for lipid management for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), updated to take account of NICE guidance, Cardiovascular disease: risk assessment and reduction, including lipid modification (published 14 December 2023).
• NICE – Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management: Covers identifying and treating primary hypertension in people aged 18 and over, including people with type 2 diabetes. Helps HCPs to diagnose hypertension accurately and treat it effectively.
• QRISK3: Risk-assessment tool to assess CVD risk for the primary prevention of CVD in people aged between 25 and 84 years. It is a tool for estimating the ten-year risk of having a cardiovascular event, in people who do not already have heart disease.
• Blood Pressure UK: Charity dedicated to lowering high blood pressure.
• Public Health England – High blood pressure: plan and deliver effective services and treatment: Preventing people in England from developing hypertension, and detecting and managing it better in those who have it.
  • Public Health England – Health matters: combating high blood pressure: Resource outlines how providers and commissioners can reduce the population’s average blood pressure through improved prevention, detection and management.
• British & Irish Hypertension Society.

• Think Kidneys. (archived)
• UK Kidney Association Education Hub: Resources on kidney diseases, care, and quality improvement.

• NHS England – Dementia: Includes a resource for appropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medication for patients with dementia.

• DermNet: A non-profit, independent health publisher.
• Primary Care Dermatology Society: Forum and UK society for GPs, GPs with extended roles, nurses, podiatrists, clinical and community pharmacists and other members of the primary healthcare team with a common interest in dermatology and skin surgery.

• DiabetesontheNet: Free diabetes and obesity education including a how-to series.
• Diabetes UK – For Professionals: Training and improvement programmes, plus free resources and information.
• International Diabetes Federation: Resources to support HCPs.
• Primary Care Diabetes and Obesity Society: Guidance for HCPs in primary care.
• Trend Diabetes: Includes leaflets for patients you prescribe for.
• RCPharm – Medicinal Foods as Potential Therapies for Type-2 Diabetes & Associated Diseases e-book.
  • RCPharm – Practical Diabetes Care e-book.
  • RCPharm – Diabetes: Useful links to resources for pharmacists.

• Department of Health and Social Care – Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management: Also known as the ‘orange book’. How clinicians should treat people with drug misuse and drug dependence problems.
• RCPharm – Drugs and driving pharmacy guide.

• RCPharm – Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry e-book.
• Choice and Medication: Information about mental health conditions and treatment options to help make informed decisions on choosing the right medicines.

• UK Ophthalmology Alliance.

• RCPharm – Neonatal Formulary e-book.
  • RCPharm – Drugs During Pregnancy and Lactation e-book.
  • RCPharm – Prescribing Medicines for Children e-book.
• Pediatric Injectable Drugs (The Teddy Bear Book) e-book.
• Neonatal & Paediatric Pharmacy Group: Network and resources.
• NICE – Fever in under 5s: assessment and initial management: Traffic-light table for pulse-rate targets for different ages.

• NICE CKS – Benzodiazepine and z-drug withdrawal guidance.
  • NICE – Sleep and sleep conditions guidance.
• Faculty of Pain Medicine – e-PAIN resource: A programme based on the International Association for the Study of Pain’s recommended multidisciplinary curriculum for HCPs learning about pain management.
  • Faculty of Pain Medicine – Opioids Aware: A resource for patients and HCPs to support prescribing of opioid medicines for pain.
• Live Well with Pain: For people living with persistent pain and those who support them.
• NHS England – Opioid prescribing for chronic pain: Resources for clinicians and patients.
• The Pharmacist’s Guide to Opioid Use Disorders e-book.

• RCPharm – Movement Disorders Prescriber’s Guide to Parkinson’s Disease e-book: For pharmacists, clinicians and allied health professionals ‘prescribing for Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders in contemporary clinical practice’ and includes information on ‘newly approved drugs and their effects on motor and non-motor symptoms’.

• RCPharm – Valproate and the pregnancy prevention programme (PPP): A pharmacy guide to support you with safe prescribing, dispensing and counselling advice for people on valproate medicines (e.g., sodium valproate, valproic acid or valproate semisodium). It includes advice for pharmacists to support adults and young people taking valproate who are at risk of pregnancy under the PPP.
• RCPharm – Oral retinoids and the PPP: A pharmacy guide to support you with safe prescribing, dispensing and counselling advice to protect people who use oral retinoids. It includes people who are at risk of pregnancy under the PPP.
• RCPharm – Drugs During Pregnancy and Lactation e-book.

• Asthma + Lung UK – resources to support HCPs.
• The British Thoracic Society – professional body raising awareness of the impact of lung disease, delivering education and CPD and developing clinical guidance.
• RightBreathe – inhaler prescribing information.
• The Primary Care Respiratory Society – network and resources for HCPs in primary, community, and integrated care settings to support with respiratory conditions.
• NICE – Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management: Includes a decision aid to help choose lower-carbon inhalers.
• RCPharm – Severe Asthma in Children and Adolescents: Mechanisms and Management e-book.
  • RCPharm Learn – learning module on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

• The College of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare – standards, guidance, education and training.
• RCPharm Learn – learning modules on sexual health consultations: an introduction.

• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons – Managing Veterinary Medicines: Staying Legal and Promoting Safety course: A free online course covering veterinary medicine regulation including storage, dispensing, safe use and antimicrobial resistance.
• RCPharm – Veterinary pharmacy guide: Guide to help pharmacists to supply veterinary medicines against a veterinary prescription, including CDs and medicines for administration under the veterinary cascade.

• RCPharm Learn – learning module on the Menopause: an introduction.
  • RCPharm – Women’s health.
  • RCPharm – Women’s health policy page.