No patients should be denied access to emergency medicines from their local community pharmacies over the millennium holiday, the Prescription Pricing Authority has told pharmacy contractors.
A special millennium issue of the PPA newsletter PPA matters contains advice and guidance for pharmacists on a number of issues that may arise as a result of this year's extended Christmas and New Year holiday period. It says that general medical practitioners are being advised to follow their usual prescribing patterns for the holiday and not to extend their prescribing periods. However, they are also being told to plan repeat prescriptions so that they can be dispensed on December 20 to cover the period up to January 10, 2000.
"Drug supply continuity is assured if prescribers stick to their normal prescribing pattern," the PPA says. "Extending the period of the repeat prescription will bring about the very problem that it is planned to avoid."
The PPA is also encouraging increased generic prescribing to try to avoid out-of-stock situations. Although there should be sufficient stock for 10 to 12 weeks in the supply chain at any one time, and although the pharmaceutical industry is planning to provide an additional four weeks' supply, the PPA says that during times of special pressure, such as influenza epidemics, individual branded medicines may be unavailable while there is still adequate supply of generic equivalents. In these circumstances, the PPA says, generic prescribing is particularly important in order to allow pharmacists flexibility in meeting the medication needs of individual patients.