NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent is required to ensure that Patient Group Directions (PGDs) approved by the PCT are used to deliver services within a robust clinical governance framework.
Registration by the following is therefore required before using PGDs, to ensure that both the provider and healthcare professional are aware of their roles and responsibilities when delivering services using PGDs:
Contact details will be retained by the PCT’s Medicine Management team and only be disclosed to other NHS departments for the purposes of monitoring the service, planning and training requirements. Several of the Community Pharmacy services using PGDs are transferring over to NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent Community Services (NHS ECKCS). For these services, contact details of providers and healthcare professionals will be forwarded to NHS ECKCS.
A copy of the registration form will be emailed to the address provided. Please retain this as evidence of registration to use the PGD documents. If the confirmation email is not received please re-register or contact medman.eck@nhs.net as below.
Details of amendments or updates to PGDs will not be notified through the contact details provided but will be notified through the GP Update or Community Pharmacy newsletter. It is the Provider’s responsibility to ensure all healthcare professionals are working to the latest version of the PGD.
Please contact us to be added to the mailing list. Back copies of the GP Update and Community pharmacy newsletter are available on the independent contractors' website.
Details can be amended or updated by re submitting the registration form.
If there are problems registering your details, or you wish to inactivate your registration, please email medman@eck.nhs.net with details and you will receive a reply within two working days. Alternatively the Medicine Management team can be contacted on 01304 222 317 or at Protea House, Marine Parade, Dover CT17 9HQ. A frequently asked questions sheet on the registration process is now available.
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Documents can be downloaded for purposes of training and information without registering. However if services are being delivered under the PGDs, both the service provider and the healthcare professional must register
To view the PGD documents, visit the documents page.
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A frequently asked questions sheet on the registration process is now available.
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Developing PGDs require a detailed knowledge of the service being delivered, the staff training requirements and the cohort of patients presenting for treatment. Following the division of the PCT into commissioning and provider roles body, NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent is no longer involved directly with front line services.
The preferred method for patients to receive medicines is for an appropriately qualified healthcare professional to prescribe for an individual patient on a one to one basis, either by prescription or Patient Specific Direction.
Recent PGDs have been produced with the support of a small number of practices on a voluntary basis. Their support has been invaluable and much appreciated, however this is not a sustainable model. A framework has been produced for providers to use to ensure their PGDs meet the legal requirements. It addresses the difficulties identified in recent months by specifying who can produce PGDs and the process to be followed for submission for final consideration and approval if appropriate
The PCT recognises that GP practices and other providers will need support to engage with this process and the following measures have been put into place to support providers as they consider the best options for their models of delivering services.
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PGDs previously provided by the PCT have been extended until the end of December 2010 in order to provide sufficient time for providers to meet the requirements of the new process. However it is a condition of all PGDs that the registered healthcare professionals should be aware of any change to the recommendations for the medicine listed.
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A limited number of PGDs have been released recently (or are due for imminent release) which are valid until August 2012 (September 2011 for seasonal influenza and H1N1) unless there are substantial changes in legislation or practice. However the PCT will not be providing further PGDs. For general practice, the PGDs released in August and September 2010 are:
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for the majority of the childhood immunization program but also covering all adult indications
for these vaccines
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salbutamol for acute asthma
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Vitamin K for practices providing INR monitoring
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Depo Provera (Due early September 2010)
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Seasonal influenza vaccine for the 2010/11 season (Due early September 2010)
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H1N1 vaccine for use in conjunction with the Seasonal influenza vaccine for the 2010/11 season
(Due early September 2010)
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Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PVP) (Due early September 2010)
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Templates for the production of vaccines and non vaccines are available.
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An update on Patient Specific Directions (PSDs), which may be considered as an alternative, is available.
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The Medicine Management team is able to provide support for this process but due to the need for clinical input, is not able to write PGDs on behalf of practices.
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PGDs produced under the terms of the framework need to be approved by the PCTs medicine sub-committee which sits the first Friday of each month. In order for PGDs to be available for Providers in January 2011 they will need to be submitted to the December 2010 sub-committee by 25 November
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Practices within Community services are not affected by these arrangements.
Please contact medman.eck@nhs.net if you need any further information.
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An update on Patient Specific Directions (PSDs) is available, which may be considered as an alternative to PGDs
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Please note the qualification for administering Depo Provera both as initial and repeat use under PGD has changed.
There have been extensive discussions with the specialists who supported the production of the PGD, the review group and members of the clinical governance team within the PCT, around the level of qualification specified within the PGD for Depo-Provera. Healthcare professionals working under this PGD should be aware of both the product and all the related contraceptive and sexual health issues for both initiation and repeat administration.
The majority of practices generate a prescription for reimbursement of the Depo Provera. It would therefore seem logical that when the prescriber signs the prescription, the prescriber can annotate the patient’s record for any repeat administration if this is deemed suitable. This can then be given in line with the practice protocol under a Patient Specific Direction (PSD) if practice staff do not currently have the qualification required for the PGD.
A useful update on Patient Specific Directions (PSDs) has been produced by the NeLM and is now available.
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The Kent Health Protection Unit are able to answer queries on patient specific around the schedule for seasonal ’flu or H1N1 vaccination if patients are outside the criteria provided by the Green Book.
Contact details:
Kent Health Protection Unit
Preston Hall
Aylesford
Kent
ME20 7NJ
Email: HPU-Kent@hpa.org.uk
Tel: 01622 710161
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The Meningococcal PGD has been reissued to bring this in line with the Green Book recommendation for administration at 3 months rather than the licensed indication.
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The Levonorgestrel PGD has been reissued to clarify the accreditation and safeguarding requirements
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The PGD for MMR vaccination has been amended to exclude HIV positive patients with severe immunosuppression although HIV positive patients without or with moderate immunosuppression are still within the inclusion criteria. See latest version of Green Book or seek advice from specialists if required.
This version of the MMR PGD (ref KM PGD -05) should be used in place of the previous version .
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