Consultation on the proposal for the supply and administration of medicines using patient group directions by biomedical scientists across the United Kingdom

Overview

This UK-wide consultation is being led by NHS England on behalf of the four nations and relates to proposed amendments to legislation to enable biomedical scientists to use patient group directions (PGDs) to supply and administer medicines to their patients. 

PGDs are written instructions for medicines to be supplied and/or administered by certain health professionals to patients who share the same medical condition or other features without a prescription or other mechanism.

Some biomedical scientists undertake diagnostic tests directly with patients and recommend treatments based on the test results. Currently, other health professionals, such as doctors, need to be involved in the patient's care to prescribe the medicines the patient needs.

The use of PGDs would mean that a greater number of patients could receive the medicines they need from the biomedical scientist undertaking their care, without having to also see other health professionals, such as a doctor just to prescribe the medicines needed.

The following documents relate to this proposal and should be read before completing the online consultation survey:

• Full consultation document
• Consultation summary document
• Impact assessment