Guidance on further changes to Controlled Drug legislation
Guidance on further changes to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 has been issued by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
The guidance was published at the end of August and appears in a Law
and Ethics Bulletin in this issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal (p322).
The amendments to the regulations took effect on 1 September. One of
the changes makes clear that the requirement for private CD prescriptions
to be written on a standard form does not extend to veterinary prescriptions,
and neither does the requirement for prescriptions to bear a prescriber
identification number on it. The prescribing of CDs for treating animals
continues as previously.
Although veterinary CD prescriptions should continue to be retained for
two years on the premises from which the medicines are supplied, such
a requirement no longer applies for private CD prescriptions for medicines
for human use. This requirement has been rescinded to allow private prescription
forms to be sent to the relevant NHS agency. However, until corresponding
changes have been made to the Medicines (Sale or Supply) (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Regulations 1980, pharmacists should continue to retain the
standardised private prescription form and send a copy to the NHS agency.
Another effect of the amending legislation to to delay for a year the
implementation
of new record-keeping requirements for Schedule 2 Controlled Drugs from
1 January 2007 until 1 January 2008. A requirement to record in the CD
register whether the person collecting a Schedule 2 CD is the patient,
the patient’s representative or a health care professional will
not now come into force until 1 January 2008. Similarly delayed are requirements
to record whether the patient or patient’s representative collecting
a Schedule 2 CD provided evidence of identity and to record the name
and address of the health care professional who collects a Schedule 2
CD on behalf of a patient.
Although the implementation date for these record-keeping requirements
has been delayed, the guidance reminds pharmacists that current legislation
requires them to ascertain whether the person collecting a Schedule 2
CD is the patient, the patient’s representative or a health care
professional.
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