Scottish urgent supply PGD can still be used
Pharmacists in Scotland are being encouraged to continue to use the urgent supply patient group direction (PGD) following its success over the Christmas period.
“I would like to remind pharmacists that the national PGD is available
to the benefit of patients over the Easter weekend when GP out-of-hours
services are in operation,” said Harry McQuillan, national pharmaceutical
adviser at NHS24.
The PGD allows pharmacists to make a supply of the usual quantity of
a patient’s repeat medicines in the out-of-hours
period (PJ, 3
December 2005, p682). During the two weeks it was used in December – which
included both the Christmas and New Year bank holidays – a total
of 2,676 prescription items were supplied via the PGD. In January, when
its main use was at weekends, the figure was 848 items. “Over the
festive period, out-of-hours services noticed a drop in the number of
enquiries about repeat medicines. So we are very keen for the PGD to
stay in place,” commented Mr McQuillan.
Despite some confusion among pharmacists that the PGD was only valid
until February, Mr McQuillan stressed that it runs until November. “The
exact date in November varies between areas because it depends on the
date when each individual health board authorised the PGD last year,” he
added. |
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