Patient Group Direction is (PGD) is a legal mechanism that allows named registered healthcare professionals to supply and / or administer medicines to groups of patients that fit the criteria laid out in the PGD without him/her necessarily seeing a prescriber. So a healthcare professional could supply (e.g. provide an inhaler or tablets) and / or administer a medicine (e.g. give an injection or a suppository) directly to a patient without the need for a prescription or an instruction from a prescriber.  

Using a PGD is not a form of prescribing and only fully competent and trained registered healthcare professionals can use PGDs. Patients may present directly to healthcare professionals using PGDs in their services without seeing a doctor. Alternatively, the patient may have been referred by a doctor to another service where a PGD may be used. Whichever way the patient presents, the healthcare professional working within the PGD is responsible for assessing that the patient fits the criteria set out in the PGD. 

In general, a PGD is not meant to be a long-term means of managing a patient’s clinical condition. This is best achieved by a healthcare professional prescribing for an individual patient on a one-to-one basis.

The supply and administration of medicines under PGDs should be reserved for those limited situations where this offers an advantage for patient care without compromising patient safety, and where it is consistent with appropriate professional relationships and accountability.

     LIST A: NHS Devon Patient Group Directions to remain valid until expiry date shown

For copies of the NHS Devon Patient Group Directions please contact the prescribing team on telephone number 01769 575 100 or by email at prescribing.devonpct@nhs.net