Laws underpinning prescribing

Question 1

What is independent prescribing?

Answer 1

Prescribing by a practitioner. The prescriber is accountable for the assessment of a patient’s diagnosed/undiagnosed condition and their clinical management plan

Question 2

What is supplementary prescribing?

Answer 2

A voluntary prescribing partnership between an independent prescriber and a supplementary prescriber, to implement an agreed patient specific care plan. For long term conditions, the clinical management plan must be in place before supplementary prescribing can begin.

Question 3

What are the legal requirements of a prescription?

Answer 3

• Patient name/address/age if under 12
• date
• prescriber name/surgery address/reference number/ signature

Question 4

What is the prescribing framework?

Answer 4

A framework to help healthcare professionals to be safe, effective prescribers who can support patients to get the best outcomes from their medicines. Provides opportunity to bring professionals together and harmonise education for prescribers by offering a competency framework

Question 5

What can IPs prescriber?

Answer 5

Any drug in their own area of competence.
Private scripts
Can prescribe any CD within own area of competence except from diamorphine, dipipanone and cocaine

Question 6

What are the legalities around dispensing schedule 2&3 CD?

Answer 6

A pharmacist cannot dispense a CD unless all information required by law is on the prescription?

Question 7

What is required by law on a CD prescription?

Answer 7

• name and address patient
• name of preparation, form, strength, dose in words and figures
• total quantity in words and figures
• name and address prescriber
• signature
• dated
• valid for 28 days