29.4.30 Urgent prescriptions
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Due to the constraints on accessing medication, patients and pharmacies are utilising various means to ensure patient safety whilst allowing individuals to obtain their prescriptions. To enable safe prompt delivery of medication, already established pharmacy delivery services are working alongside volunteer groups, family members and local community care groups
There have been some difficulties in patients accessing urgent medication which can lead to increased patient anxiety and a strain on pharmacy services and the pharmacist/patient relationship.
Prescribers should discuss urgent prescriptions with their patients at the time of prescribing and think about how the patients are actually going to obtain the medication. If it is not reasonably possible to obtain a prescription before the end of a working day then a clinical decision needs to be made by the prescriber as to whether it can wait until the following day and formulate a plan if this is not safe or appropriate. It is important not to have unrealistic expectations as to what a volunteer/pharmacy delivery service should be able to achieve in a short time frame.
