Pharmacy Practice: Prescription Requirements

A medicine available only with a written instruction from a healthcare professional for a specific patient after an assessment.

Written instruction from a healthcare professional for a specific patient to obtain a medicine for a specific purpose.

Products given by injection or infusion, always require a prescription.

Medicines containing substances that release cyanide upon breakdown, only allowed for external use without a prescription.

A medicine that is not a POM or GSL product, requiring a prescription.

Must be written by a licensed medical professional, such as a doctor or nurse practitioner.

The prescription must be signed in ink by the healthcare provider who issued it.

The prescription must be written in ink, not pencil.

The prescription must include the date on which it was written.

A written instruction from a healthcare professional for a specific patient to obtain a medicine for a specific purpose.

A prescription for a 6-month course of oral contraceptives is valid for 6 months from the date on the prescription.

Depending on the type of prescription, it may be valid for a different time period.

A registered medical practitioner who can prescribe medication.

Certain prescriptions might have extra requirements beyond the basic information.

The date the prescription was signed by the healthcare professional.

A prescription that allows for refills, typically issued for private prescriptions.

A medicine that can only be obtained with a written instruction from a healthcare professional.

The specific instructions for taking the medication, including dosage, frequency, and form.

A prescription that is written outside of the National Health Service, usually paid for by the patient.

A prescription that is only valid for a specified period of time, often with a reason for its limitation.

A prescription is only valid if written by a healthcare professional. This ensures the patient's safety and prevents misuse.

A prescription for dental medications is valid only if the drug is listed in the Dental Formulary (OPF).

Patients have the right to retain the prescription in place of picking it up after the pharmacy has dispensed it.

Dentists can prescribe both generic and branded versions of medicines, but only if required by the regulations.

Community nurses with extra training can prescribe a limited range of medicines on an NHS prescription form.

This formulary outlines the specific medicines that community nurses can prescribe.

Nurses who can independently prescribe or supplement a doctor's prescription.

Ensuring the safe and suitable use of medicines.

An electronic prescription must be signed using an advanced electronic signature that is uniquely linked to the prescribing practitioner and the prescription data.

An electronic prescription can be cancelled by the prescribing GP if errors occur. Pharmacies can't dispense prescriptions with errors.

The NHS Spine is used to transmit electronic prescriptions from GPs to pharmacies, allowing for secure and efficient prescription management.

Electronic prescriptions are dispensed as tokens, which are printed by pharmacies and used to dispense medication.

Electronic prescriptions offer advantages like improved efficiency and reduced errors, but also require a reliable electronic signature system for authentication and security.

Valproate, Naproxin and other medications containing Valproate must be dispensed in full packs only.

Dispensing a medicine by its brand name only, as instructed by the prescription, and not substituting with a generic alternative.

Repackaging or splitting prescriptions for Valproate medications is prohibited.

Only use the specific brand name prescribed for Valproate medications, no substitutes allowed.

A change in dispensing laws coming in 2025 allowing pharmacists to adjust the quantity dispensed slightly, within a 10% threshold, up or down from the original prescription amount.

Patients receiving Valproate must be provided with complete information about the medication, including potential side effects.

When a pharmacist is unable to provide the entire amount of medication prescribed, an owing slip should be given to the patient, and the remaining portion must be collected by the next person presenting the prescription.

When dispensing Valproate with other medications like antibiotics or steroids, handle with caution to prevent potential drug interactions.

The prescribed quantity of medication must be within a 10% range, either above or below the amount written on the prescription, when using the original pack dispensing (OPD) method.

OPD, or original pack dispensing, applies to prescriptions under the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) and NHS private prescriptions, but not to controlled drugs (CDs) in certain specialties.

When a prescription is written by brand name, the exact medicine must be dispensed. If a generic alternative is not available, a different medicine needs to be provided.

The quantity specified on an EPS NHS prescription is only relevant for that prescription and does not apply to other prescription types or non-prescription supplies.

This change in the law allows pharmacists to dispense different quantities, but it's not mandatory. They must believe that providing a different quantity is safe and appropriate.

OPA does not apply to medicines classified as CNS 2 & 4 (which typically have more stringent regulations).