Legislation

Prescribing

Doctors and dentists can legally prescribe and subsequently administer the medicine they have prescribed.  They can also administer a medicine prescribed by another prescriber.

Patient Group Directions

Only healthcare professionals listed in the PGD legislation can supply or administer medications under a PGD, this does not include doctors and dentists.

Written Instructions

Doctors and dentists cannot administer medicines under a HMR Schedule 17 written instruction for occupational health.  For further detail see Using written instructions for seasonal ‘flu vaccination

‘Flu vaccinations

Process

For peer to peer ‘flu vaccinations doctors and dentists may vaccinate their peers either by prescribing and administering the vaccine or administering under the prescription of another prescriber: the process to be followed is for local agreement following governance considerations.

Training

Where a doctor or dentist is prescribing and administering a flu vaccine and are not a specialist in occupational health they should act within the same framework as other peer to peer vaccinators.  They should complete the same training/declare themselves as competent and use the PGD or WI as guidance (i.e. inclusion/exclusion criteria) and refer to an OHS specialist any person falling outside the inclusion criteria/who are excluded as any other peer to peer vaccinator would be expected to.

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