private prescriptions

Question 1

what is required on a private prescription

Answer 1

patients name
address
age if under 12
signature 
date 
particulars and address of rx
signed in indelible rx
advanced electronic signature

Question 2

what are repeatable rx

Answer 2

private rx with direction

Question 3

what if a repeatable rx doesn’t state how many repeats

Answer 3

repeat once (dispense twice)

oral contraceptive :repeat 5 times (dispense 6 times

Question 4

can CDs be repeated?

Answer 4

Schedules 2 and 3 cannot

schedules 4 and 5 can

Question 5

validity of repeatable prescriptions

Answer 5

first dispensing within 6 months of the appropriate date following which there is no legal time limit for the remaining repeats

for schedule 4 CDs first dispensing within 28 days of the appropriate date then there is no time limit for remaining repeats

Question 6

how long to retain Private POM rx

Answer 6

2 years

Question 7

how long to retain POM register

Answer 7

2 years from the date of the last entry

Question 8

which prescriptions are exempt from record keeping

Answer 8

oral contraceptives

Question 9

what should be included in the POM register

Answer 9

Supply date
prescription date
medicine details
prescriber details
patient details

Question 10

what prescriptions can dentists write

Answer 10

for any POM based on their competencies

Question 11

what can a dentist prescribe on the NHS FP10D rx

Answer 11

any drug in the dental prescriber formulary

Question 12

legal requirements of FP10D rx

Answer 12

same as FP10

Question 13

what drugs cn EEA/ SWISS

Answer 13

POM,GSL ,P , Schedule 4 and 5 CD

Question 14

can pharmacists take rx in a different language

Answer 14

Even if the prescription requirements have been written in a foreign language the prescription is still legally acceptable. However, you will need to have enough information to enable the safe supply of medicines considering patient care and wellbeing.

Question 15

legal rx of

Answer 15

Patient details
Patient’s full first name(s), surname and date of birth
• Prescriber details
Prescriber’s full first name(s), surname, professional qualifications, direct contact details including email address and telephone or fax number (with international prefix), work address (including the country they work in)
• Prescribed medicine details
Name of the medicine (brand name where appropriate), pharmaceutical form, quantity, strength and dosage details
• Prescriber signature
• Date of issue

Question 16

Approved countries comprise EEA countries and Switzerland:

Answer 16

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Republic
of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Question 17

CHECKING THE REGISTRATION STATUS OF APPROVED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Answer 17

Up-to-date contact details for EEA competent authorities to check registration details of doctors and dentists can be obtained from:
• Doctors
General Medical Council (GMC) www.gmc-uk.org
• Dentists
General Dental Council (GDC) www.gdc-uk.org
(search for ‘List of EEA competent authorities’)

Question 18

validity of tea and Swiss rx

Answer 18

Prescriptions are valid for up to six months from the appropriate date (prescriptions for Schedule 4 CDs 28 days). For prescriptions from these countries the appropriate date is the date on which the prescription was signed.

Question 19

what is a PGD

Answer 19

A PGD is a written direction that allows the supply and/or administration of a specified medicine
or medicines, by named authorised health professionals, to a well-defined group of patients requiring treatment for a specific condition.

Question 20

emergency supply on request of patient

Answer 20

interview
immediate need
previous treatment
dose
not for CDs 1,2,3 except phenobarbital and 4 and 5 ( and only 5 days rx)
no more and 30 days or smallest pack available
full treatment cycle for oral contraception
smallest quantity for a full course of antibiotic
length of treatment
records kept
same labelling with the words - emergency supply

Question 21

emergency supply on request of ‘relevant prescriber’ includes

Answer 21

A doctor
• A dentist
• A supplementary prescriber
• A nurse independent prescriber
• A pharmacist independent prescriber
• A community practitioner nurse prescriber
• A physiotherapist independent prescriber
• A podiatrist independent prescriber
• A therapeutic radiographer independent prescriber
• An optometrist independent prescriber
• An EEA or Swiss health professional
(see section 3.3.5)
• A paramedic independent prescriber
Healthcare professionals from countries outside
of the EEA or Switzerland are not recognised as “relevant prescribers” in the United Kingdom.

Question 22

The conditions for an emergency supply at the request of a prescriber are:

Answer 22

Relevant prescriber
The pharmacist is satisfied that the request is from one of the prescribers stated above

Emergency
The pharmacist is satisfied that a prescription cannot be provided immediately due to an emergency (e.g. patient cannot collect the prescription from the prescriber, the prescriber
is unable to drop off prescription at the pharmacy and patient urgently needs the medicine(s), etc.)

The prescriber agrees to provide a written prescription within 72 hours

Directions
The medicine is supplied in accordance with the direction given by the prescriber

Not for CDs, except phenobarbital
Schedule 1, 2 or 3 CDs cannot be supplied
in an emergency whether requested by UK,
EEA or Swiss health professionals. Phenobarbital (also known as phenobarbitone or phenobarbitone sodium) is the exception and can be authorised
by UK doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist independent prescriber or supplementary prescriber in an emergency for the treatment
of epilepsy.

Record kept
An entry must be made into the POM register on the day of the supply (or, if impractical, on the following day). The entry needs to include:
• The date the POM was supplied
• The name (including strength and form where
appropriate) and quantity of medicine supplied
• The name and address of the prescriber requesting the emergency supply
• The name and address of the patient for whom the POM was required
• The date on the prescription (this can be added to the entry when the prescription is received by the pharmacy)
• The date on which the prescription is received (this should be added to the entry when the prescription is received in the pharmacy)
Labelling
Usual labelling requirements apply (see section 3.3.7).

Question 23

record for emergency request from prescriber

Answer 23

An entry must be made into the POM register on the day of the supply (or, if impractical, on the following day). The entry needs to include:
• The date the POM was supplied
• The name (including strength and form where
appropriate) and quantity of medicine supplied
• The name and address of the prescriber requesting the emergency supply
• The name and address of the patient for whom the POM was required
• The date on the prescription (this can be added to the entry when the prescription is received by the pharmacy)
• The date on which the prescription is received (this should be added to the entry when the prescription is received in the pharmacy)

Question 24

what is an optometrist or podiatrist signed order

Answer 24

pharmacists working in a registered pharmacy can supply certain POMs directly
to patients in accordance with a signed patient order from any registered optometrist or podiatrist.
The medicine requested must be one which
can be legally sold or supplied by the optometrist or podiatrist rather than one which they can
only administer. See MHRA website for list.
Please note: Optometrists who have undertaken additional training and are accredited by the GOC as ‘additional supply optometrists’ can issue signed patient orders for an extended range of medicines.

Question 25

signed order pom register

Answer 25

Date the POM was supplied Name, quantity and, where it is not apparent, formulation and strength of the POM supplied Name and address, trade, business or profession of the person to whom the medicine was supplied Purpose for which it was sold or supplied.

Question 26

how can schools get supply of adrenaline or salbutamol inhalers

Answer 26

via a signed order | purchasing small quantities occasionally and not for profit

Question 27

signed patient order requirements

Answer 27

The signed patient order is not a prescription; therefore the usual prescription requirements would not be needed. However, you should be satisfied the optometrist or the podiatrist has provided sufficient advice to enable the patient to use the medicine safely and effectively. If the supply is made, the pharmacist should ensure that the medicine is labelled accordingly as a dispensed medicinal product (see section 3.3.7), a patient information leaflet is supplied to the patient and an appropriate record is made in the POM register. Any additional information or advice that enables the patient to use the medicine safely and effectively should also be provided if it has not already been provided by the optometrist or podiatrist. Details on how to check the registration of the optometrist or podiatrist can be found in section 3.3.15.

Question 28

What information should be included on the signed order

Answer 28

The signed order should contain: • Name of the school • Product details (including spacer if relevant) • Strength (if relevant) • Purpose for which the product is required • Total quantity required • Signature of the principal or head teacher Ideally, appropriately headed paper should be used; however, this is not a legislative requirement.

Question 29

What records need to be kept in the pharmacy for a signed order ?

Answer 29

The signed order needs to be retained for two years from the date of supply or an entry made into the POM register. Even when the signed order is retained, it is good practice to make a record in POM register for audit purposes.

Question 30

What type of school can I supply?

Answer 30

All primary and secondary schools in the UK – including maintained schools, independent schools, pupil referral units and maintained nursery schools

Question 31

who can carry naloxone

Answer 31

staff engaged or employed in “lawful drug treatment services” to obtain naloxone from a wholesaler and make direct supplies to patients without a prescription, patient group direction (PGD) or patient specific direction (PSD). From February 2019 this included nasal naloxone. Lawful drug treatment services is defined as: “Persons employed or engaged in the provision of drug treatment services provided by, on behalf of or under arrangements made by one of the following bodies: (a) an NHS body (b) a local authority (c) Public Health England, or (d) Public Health Agency”. This definition extends to commissioned services providing needle and syringe programmes (including those provided by pharmacies) and pharmacies providing drug treatment services (includes instalment and supervised dispensing of Opioid Substitute Therapies (OST).

Question 32

what is GSL

Answer 32

General sale medicines, also known as ‘General Sales List' (GSL) medicines, are those that can be made available as ‘self-selection’ items for sale in registered pharmacies. They can also be sold in other retail outlets that can ‘close so as to exclude the public’.

Question 33

What is P med

Answer 33

A pharmacy medicine is a medicinal product that can be sold from a registered pharmacy premises by a pharmacist or a person acting under the supervision of a pharmacist. Pharmacy medicines must not be accessible to the public by self-selection.

Question 34

What is a POM

Answer 34

A prescription-only medicine (POM) is a medicine that is generally subject to the restriction of requiring a prescription written by an appropriate practitioner.

Question 35

what are OTC medicines

Answer 35

Together with GSL medicines, P medicines are collectively known as over-the-counter (OTC) or non-prescription medicines. The sale of some of these medicines is associated with additional legal and professional considerations;

Question 36

legal max sale of Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine

Answer 36

It is unlawful to supply a product or combination of products that contain more than 720mg of pseudoephedrine OR 180mg of ephedrine at any one time, without a prescription cannot sell pseudopehdrine and ephedrine at same time due to their potential for misuse in the illicit production of methylamphetamine (crystal meth) – a class A Controlled Drug

Question 37

max quantities of aspirin and paracetamol

Answer 37

Not more than 100 non effervescent* tablets or capsules can be sold to a person at any one time. Since most OTC pack sizes are for 16 or 32 dose units, this means that, in practice, 96 is the maximum number that can be sold.

Question 38

codeine etc indication

Answer 38

short term treatment of acute moderate pain not relieved by paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen alone

Question 39

codeine max pack size

Answer 39

max pack size 32 including effervescent formulations

Question 40

warning codeine

Answer 40

can cause addiction. for 3 days only

Question 41

Levonorgestrel 1500 microgram tablet licensing

Answer 41

72 hours for those 16 and over

Question 42

ulipristal acetate

Answer 42

120 hours for those of any age

Question 43

recently reclassified meds

Answer 43

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