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The first stop for professional medicines advice

Supply and administration of medicines by staff group (P to Z)

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Topics: AdministeringService advice and planningSupply

Different staff groups have different permissions with respect to medicines supply and administration and it is important to ensure legislation is followed.

This article forms part of a series
  1. Legal mechanisms to supply and administer medicines to individuals
    1. Supply and administration of medicines by staff group (A to G)
    2. Supply and administration of medicines by staff group (H to O)
    3. Supply and administration of medicines by staff group (P to Z)

Contents

  1. How to use this page
  2. Essential reading
  3. Mechanisms by professional group
    1. Paramedic
    2. Pharmacist
    3. Pharmacy technician
    4. Physician assistant
    5. Physician assistant in anaesthesia
    6. Physiotherapist
    7. Practitioner psychologist
    8. Provisionally registered doctor (Foundation year 1)
    9. Radiographer (diagnostic)
    10. Radiographer (therapeutic)
    11. Speech and language therapist
  5. Update history

How to use this page

Staff groups are listed in alphabetical order and include information on what they can and cannot legally do, with respect to medicines supply and administration.

Essential reading

This page should be read in conjunction with Legal mechanisms to supply and administer medicines to individuals (SPS page) and Medicine administration by registered and non-registered staff (SPS page).

Mechanisms by professional group

What they can do

Paramedics registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they can do

Pharmacists registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) can:

For the group formerly known as pre-registration pharmacist see Foundation trainee pharmacist (SPS page)

What they can do

Pharmacy technicians registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

What they can do

Physician assistants (formerly known as physician associates) have been able to register with the General Medical Council (GMC) from December 2024 to be completed by December 2026.

This group can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

What they can do

Physician assistants in anaesthesia (formerly known as anaesthesia associates) have been able to register with the General Medical Council (GMC) from December 2024 to be completed by December 2026  This group can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

What they can do

Physiotherapists registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they can do

Practitioner psychologists registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they cannot do

What practitioner psychologists cannot do:

What they can do

Doctors provisionally registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

What they can do

Diagnostic radiographers registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they can do

Therapeutic radiographers registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they can do

Speech and language therapists registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

 

Update history

  1. Republished
  2. Amended due to legislation changes to HMR 2012
  1. Revised nomenclature, changed physician associate to physician assistant. New section added for physician assistant in anaesthesia (formerly known as anaesthesia associate).
  1. Fixed links
  1. Revised anaesthesia associates and physician associates in line with GMC regulation process
  1. Change to pharmacy technician entry following publication of 2024/25 influenza national protocol
  1. Amended due to legislation change to HMR 2012
  1. Article series format review
  1. Published