Source: New Zealand Government
Paramedics will be able to prescribe from a list of 232 medicines covering common infections, repeat prescriptions for long-term conditions, and treatments needed in urgent and community care, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
“Most people picture a paramedic in an ambulance or a rescue helicopter responding to an accident. But paramedics are increasingly delivering everyday care in people’s homes, in aged residential care facilities, in urgent care clinics, and in rural communities where there may be no other health professional nearby.
“This list reflects that wider role, covering the medicines paramedics come across in everyday community practice.”
It comes after the Government announced in June that paramedics could become designated prescribers.
Paramedic prescribers will be able to prescribe for common infections and minor conditions.
“A patient with a chest or ear infection could be assessed and given a full course of treatment in their own community, without waiting to see a doctor or another prescriber, and without a trip to after-hours.”
Medicines commonly prescribed on repeat for long-term conditions are also included, such as pain relief, asthma inhalers, and diabetes medicines.
“Where the diagnosis is clear, a paramedic will be able to issue the prescription rather than send the patient elsewhere for it. That matters most for patients who have run out of a medicine they have relied on for years.”
Paramedics will also be able to prescribe medicines needed in urgent and community care settings.
“A paramedic called out to a resident in aged residential care could prescribe on the spot, and in many cases that resident will not need to go to hospital at all.
“Palliative care medicines to help manage people’s pain are covered too, along with treatments for high blood pressure and angina.”
Paramedics are highly skilled health professionals who assess patients, deliver treatment, and administer medicines across emergency, urgent, primary, and community settings every day. They currently do this under standing orders issued by authorised prescribers, which means they can administer certain medicines but cannot prescribe them. A patient may be given a medicine on the spot and still need to see a doctor to get a prescription for the full course.
“This approach is inflexible, creates unnecessary administrative burden, and no longer reflects the critical role paramedics play in the community.
“Enabling paramedics to prescribe will make a real difference in rural and remote communities, where access to a prescriber can mean a long drive or a long wait. It will also take pressure off emergency departments by keeping people who do not need hospital care out of hospital.”
Mr Brown says patient safety has been central to the design of the new prescribing framework.
“A paramedic will need to complete approved training first. The Paramedic Council will set the training and competency standards, approve the providers who deliver that training, require paramedics to keep their skills current, and monitor how prescribing is being used.
“This is also a well-tested model. Paramedics in the United Kingdom have been prescribing since 2018, with high levels of patient satisfaction and reduced pressure on primary care. Paramedic prescribing is being implemented in Victoria and being considered elsewhere in Australia.
“Making better use of our skilled health workforce is how we improve access to care. We are fixing the basics and building the future of our health system, and this is another practical step towards patients being seen and treated sooner.”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/19/more-than-200-medicines-approved-for-paramedics-to-prescribe/