PGDs
Pan London Patient Group Directions
A PGD authorises the supply and/or administration of a specified medicine or medicines by named authorised health professionals, to a well defined group of patients requiring treatment for a condition described in the PGD.
PGDs have been a really positive move for contraceptive and sexual health service users, reducing time spent in clinic and utilising the skills of nurses and in some Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), community pharmacists too.
Currently London PCTS, Trusts and Independent organisations have separate PGDs for the supply and administration of contraceptives and for the treatment of common sexually transmitted infections (STI’s).
Inclusions and exclusions, clinical content and presentation varies across London. This leads to a variation in clinical practice depending on locality and has proved problematic particularly for nurses who are often required to work to many PGD’s.
It has been agreed that a small working group of nurses, doctors and pharmacists representing London would prepare a set of PGD templates to standardise the PGDs across London. This work is initially focussing on PGDs used by nurses.
The template PGDs would still require local organisational approval by authorised providers. The templates will require minimum clinical input as minor local variations should be addressed e.g. appendix for individual practitioner agreements.
It is hoped that by sharing these templates, improved and consistent standards of practice will be achieved to provide a safer, more accessible and more effective service to users.
The work is well underway and a sample of the contraceptive PGD templates should be ready for consultation across London later in the summer.
For further information, please contact: Kathy.French@btinternet.com
For general information about PGDs see
http://www.nelm.nhs.uk/en/Communities/NeLM/PGDs/Previous page: Contact us
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