Community Hospital Controlled Drug Discharge Prescription Process

Audience

Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support workers involved in medicines supply from BGH Pharmacy

Medical prescribers and non-medical prescribers writing discharge prescriptions for patients in community hospitals (Hay Lodge Hospital, Hawick Community Hospital, Kelso Community Hospital, The Knoll Hospital)

If a community hospital in-patient requires a Schedule 2 or 3 Controlled Drug on discharge the prescriber must ensure BGH Pharmacy is provided with a valid prescription which meets controlled drug writing requirements, ie. must include the following information:

• Patient’s full name, address and CHI number
• The name of the drug
• The form of the drug, even if only one form exists
• The strength of the preparation, where appropriate
• The dose to be taken
• The total quantity to be supplied – in both words and figures
• Date
• Signature of the prescriber

BGH Pharmacy will only accept discharge prescriptions for controlled drugs as a handwritten Community Hospital Controlled Drug Prescription (Appendix 1)

This handwritten CD prescription should be provided together with the discharge letter.

The patient’s discharge letter and CD prescription must be sent to BGH pharmacy at least three days before the expected date of discharge. A copy of the patient’s medicine chart showing all medicines prescribed must be made available for pharmacy checking purposes. A fax or scan of the medicines chart and CD prescription can be sent to BGH pharmacy in advance if appropriate, but the dispensed items will not be provided until the original (ie. paper) CD prescription has been received.

The most commonly used Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs are listed below: