Access to Medicines - The Legal Information

Flashcards covering the legal framework, prescribing routes, and specific regulations for podiatrists accessing medicines in the UK.

Medicines Act (1968)

The underpinning act that controls access to medication in the UK.

Statutory Instruments (SIs)

Secondary legislation amendments used to update and expand the scope of podiatrists and other healthcare professionals regarding access to medicines.

Human Medicines Regulations 2012

The legislation created in 2012 that consolidated all existing Statutory Instruments (SIs) into one framework.

Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations (2013)

The specific amendment to the 2012 regulations that enabled independent prescribing for podiatrists.

General Sale List (GSL)

Medicines that can be bought in a shop without the supervision of a pharmacist, such as paracetamol.

Pharmacy (P) Medicines

Medicines that can be sold in a pharmacy without a prescription, such as codeine, but require pharmacist supervision.

Prescription Only Medicines (POMs)

Medicines that generally require a prescription, though podiatrists have a specific 'exemptions list' allowing them to sell, supply, or administer certain ones.

Patient Specific Direction (PSD)

A written instruction from a prescriber for a medicine to be supplied or administered to a named patient; it is not a form of prescribing.

Patient Group Direction (PGD)

A mechanism enabling specific healthcare professionals to supply or administer medicines to patients fitting specific criteria without a prescription.

Supplementary Prescribing (SP)

A form of non-medical prescribing where the prescriber can prescribe any drug outlined in a patient-specific Clinical Management Plan (CMP).

Clinical Management Plan (CMP)

A document developed by an independent prescriber, the supplementary prescriber, and the patient, which must be followed for supplementary prescribing.

Independent Prescribing (IP)

The authority to prescribe within one's scope of practice for both diagnosed and undiagnosed conditions, including four specific controlled drugs.

Signed Order Form

A document used by podiatrists to order stock of POM-S or POM-A medicines from a pharmacy; required for codeine products which cannot be kept on site.

POM-A

A category of exempted medicines that includes steroids like methylprednisolone for podiatric use.

POM-S

A category of exempted medicines that includes Ibuprofen and specific codeine products like co-codamol and co-dydramol.

Codeine (Podiatry POM-S restrictions)

Exempted products that must only be given for a 3-day course, cannot be repeated, and require a signed order from a pharmacy.

Mixing Medicines

The act of combining medicines; permitted under IP and PSD (excluding controlled drugs) but prohibited under PGD and POMs.