Welcome to the NHS Patient Group Directions (PGD) website.

Editorial management of this website is provided by London, East and South East England Specialist Pharmacy Services and is supported by the PGD Website Board.

Patient Group Directions (PGDs) are written instructions for the supply or administration of medicines to groups of patients who may not be individually identified before presentation for treatment.

PGDs take a significant amount of time and resource to develop and implement. Giving careful thought and consideration to whether PGDs are the most appropriate option and to the content of PGDs at the outset will contribute to safe and timely delivery of patient care.

The majority of clinical care should be provided on an individual, patient-specific basis. If the current care pathway can include the issue of a prescription or a written Patient Specific Direction by a doctor or non-medical prescriber so that the patient receives the medicine in a timely manner, then a PGD should not be required.

The aim of this website is to provide, and signpost to, tools and resources which will help guide organisations and practitioners through the PGD legal framework and associated processes with PGDs.

See here for more information about the PGD website.

Find your way around the website.

EDITORS NOTE : MAY 2013

Users should also note that website content updates are planned over the coming months. The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 which came into force on 14 August 2012 and other PGD legislation changes arising as a consequence of the Health and Social Care Act came into force on 1 April 2013.  Users should be aware that some resources, in the light of these legislative changes and during the transitional period, will have to be reviewed and updated.

If you have a question about PGDs or cannot find what you are looking for on the website, do contact us.