Plans to widen PGDs to more health professions
Proposals to allow dietitians, occupational therapists, prosthetists, orthotists and speech and language therapists sell, supply and administer medicines under patient group directions have been put forward in MLX294 by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
If accepted, these professions will be added to the list of professionals
who are able to operate as named individuals under PGDs. The professions
currently in that list are pharmacists, nurses, midwives, health visitors,
optometrists, chiropodists/podiatrists, radiographers, orthoptists, physiotherapists
and paramedics.
Anne Whateley, deputy chief executive of the Royal College of Speech
and Language therapists, said that examples of medicines that speech
therapists might need to use included topical anaesthetics following
laryngoendoscopy or surgical voice restoration, antifungals and other
medicines to relieve mouth ulcers or oral discomfort.
Prosthetists and orthotists might want to use botulinum toxin to treat
unresponsive hyperhydrosis of the axillae, baclofen for cerebral palsy
or flucloxacillin for soft tissue infections.
Arts therapists have been excluded from the proposal because their professional
bodies have concluded that arts therapists have no need to be able to
work with PGDs in their current professional practice.
PGDs can be used by the National Health Service, by charitable and voluntary
health care organisations and in the armed force, prison and police health
services.
Comments on the proposal can be sent to Anne Ryan, MHRA, 16-142 Market
Towers, 1 Nine Elms Lane, London SW8 5NG (e-mail anne-ryan@mhra.gsi.gov.uk)
until 30 September. The consultation period is less than the usual 12
weeks because there has already been extensive informal consultation
with the allied health professions’ representatives. |
