Published: 19/11/20

Introduction

This Circular provides updated advice to community pharmacy contractors about the prescription stationery being used by Allied Health Professionals independent prescribers and which may be received in community pharmacies for dispensing.

Background

Prescribing rights have been extended to Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) independent prescribers who are able to prescribe within their own area of competency.

Guidance has been issued to Health Boards on the process to allow the set-up of AHPs who are recognised by the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) as Independent Prescribers (IP) to prescribe using GP practice clinical systems. This is an interim approach pending implementation of updated GP Practice IT Systems that supports AHP prescribers.

Circular PCA (P)(2019) 10, issued on 14 May 2019 advised community pharmacy contractors that new paramedic independent prescribers based in GP practices would use the standard GP10 prescription form, however, it has now been confirmed that they will instead use the GP10(SS) form.

Detail

Community pharmacies may be presented with barcoded GP10(SS) prescription forms that will appear as issued by a General Practitioner. However, the patient has been prescribed the medication by a paramedic independent prescriber who is responsible for signing their name in the prescriber signature area. Community pharmacies will be able to identify the prescribing role by the inclusion of a stamp annotated with the prescriber’s name, their role and their HCPC professional code. An example is provided at Appendix A of this Circular.

If General Practice IT systems are not available or paramedic independent prescribers need to prescribe medication to patients on home visits, as well as a further cohort of paramedic independent prescribers who are not based within GP practices, they will handwrite prescriptions using GP10 (NMP) prescription pads.

In addition to paramedics, other relevant AHP independent prescriber roles can also start annotating prescriptions with a stamp using this interim workaround. It is intended that they will use the GP10(SS) stationery if GP IT is available and GP10(NMP) for handwritten prescriptions. A list of supported roles and abbreviations is provided at Appendix B.

An AHP independent prescriber’s qualification and registration status can be checked at https://www.hcpc-uk.org/check-the-register/

Community Pharmacy Scotland has been consulted on this circular.

Action

NHS Boards are asked to bring this Circular to the attention of their community pharmacy contractors and local pharmacy committees.