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25
WQ.453/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
BY DEPUTY K.F. MOREL OF ST. LAWRENCE
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 22nd OCTOBER 2019
Question
As pharmacists currently do not have access to medical records and cannot therefore be sure of a person's medical history, will the Minister explain how they will be able to prescribe any medicines safely?
Answer
It is a requirement that in order to prescribe safely, a prescriber should have access to the relevant medical records of any patient they intend to prescribe for. Pharmacist prescribers in the UK are usually working either in hospitals or in collaboration with GPs in primary care. In both circumstances, pharmacists have access to the patient's full medical record or the summary care record and so can prescribe safely.
In Jersey, hospital pharmacists working alongside the clinical teams have access to patient's medical records and so would be able to prescribe safely. The potential for pharmacists to prescribe in primary care creates opportunities for pharmacists to work collaboratively with GPs, so that they have access to medical records and potentially make a positive contribution to improving patient care.
There is a single competency framework for all prescribers irrespective of their individual profession. All prescribers must adhere to the principles within this framework in order to prescribe medicines safely. The first competency in this framework relates to the assessment of the patient. This section is reproduced below and paragraph 1.3 relates to accessing the patient record. Any pharmacist prescriber will need to adhere to this framework and ensure that before they prescribe they have assessed the patient in accordance with the criteria below:
- Takes an appropriate medical, social and medication history, including allergies and intolerances.
- Undertakes an appropriate clinical assessment.
- Accesses and interprets all available and relevant patient records to ensure knowledge of the patient's management to date.
- Requests and interprets relevant investigations necessary to inform treatment options.
- Makes, confirms or understands, the working or final diagnosis by systematically considering the various possibilities (differential diagnosis).
- Understands the condition(s) being treated, their natural progression and how to assess their severity, deterioration and anticipated response to treatment.
- Reviews adherence to and effectiveness of current medicines.
- Refers to or seeks guidance from another member of the team, a specialist or a prescribing information source when necessary.
The full competency framework for all prescribers can be found at: