This PGD training guide and support page takes pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on a step-by-step journey to learning how to use Patient Group Directions to provide safe and effective services. It highlights training that is available from CPPE and other providers. Watch the video for more information and follow the steps below.
1. What is a PGD?
2. How to use PGDs effectively
3. Improve your PGD consultations
4. Expand your clinical knowledge
5. Learn best practice
6. Reflect and find support
7. Grow your scope of practice
FAQs
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians may use PGDs when providing services including NHS commissioned services, private services or local services.
A PGD is a written instruction that allows the sale, supply and/or administration of a medicine to groups of people who may or may not be individually identified before they present for treatment.
Only registered health professionals listed in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 may use PGDs. However, being listed in the Regulations does not automatically mean a professional can use a PGD.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must be authorised to work under a PGD, and must work within the scope of the service it covers. This applies whether the service is NHS commissioned, privately provided, or locally commissioned.
You can use the following resources to learn more about supplying and administrating medicines under a PGD:
Using PGDs in your practice may be new to you and you may feel uncertain about the clinical responsibility this brings. NHS services are expanding to meet the rising demands of a growing and ageing population, and pharmacy professionals are needed as part of the healthcare team to increase access to high quality person-centred care.
In the videos below, pharmacy professionals share their experiences of providing services. We asked them to recount how they have prepared to provide services, describe any challenges they faced and how they overcame them and offer top tips for delivery.
Pharmacy technicians can book a place on our face-to-face PGDs: Empowering pharmacy technicians to provide services workshop which will also help you to build confidence. During the workshop you will network with pharmacy technician peers and collaborate to practise difficult consultations related to the Pharmacy contraception and Stop smoking services.
Pharmacy technicians booking on the workshop will have access to CPPE’s Pharmacy technician development programme: preparing for the future, with optional access to an education supervisor to guide you on your learning journey and support you in developing the right knowledge, clinical skills and behaviours to increase patient access to clinical services.
You could also consider using our five Selling yourself guides to help you pitch yourself to patients, colleagues, the wider healthcare team and employers as you explain your role and expanding scope of practice. The guides cover topics such as assertiveness, influence and overcoming anxiety.
Delivering high-quality, person-centred services, whether you’re providing clinical care or using PGDs to supply or administer medicines, starts with effective consultation and shared decision-making skills. Use the resources below to enhance your approach and make every contact count, elevating each patient interaction. Explore these resources to reflect, refine and deliver even better care.
The NICE guideline on Patient Group Directions (PGDs) highlights that safe and effective PGD use relies on a strong foundation of clinical knowledge. Understanding the medicine, the condition being treated and the wider context is essential to delivering safe, high-quality care.
Before using any PGD, take time to refresh your knowledge of the relevant conditions, therapeutic areas and specific medicines involved. For each PGD you use, you should be confident in:
To support your learning, we provide a series of learning gateway pages linked to key clinical conditions. Each gateway brings together essential resources, including the latest CPPE programmes and trusted external materials, helping you stay up to date with the clinical knowledge required for using PGDs in practice.
Learning gateways relevant to services using PGDs include:
You can also use our portfolio of clinical factsheets to deepen your understanding of specific conditions covered by the PGDs you use.
For medicine specific information, the resources below offer up to date guidance:
To deliver a service using a PGD safely and effectively, you need a clear understanding of how the service works and how to provide it in a person-centred way as part of everyday practice. Start by reviewing the relevant service specification. This outlines the purpose of the service, how it should be delivered and the training you must complete before providing it.
Below you’ll find links to the service specifications and PGDs for current NHS community pharmacy services:
Service specifications and PGDs for additional NHS services will be available via the NHS England Pharmacy Services web page.
Your employer will be able to direct you to any private or locally commissioned service specifications you may need.
To support your preparation, CPPE offers service specific web pages bringing together key learning and guidance. Access the learning resources relevant to the service you plan to provide:
You can also book onto our regular service panel discussion webinars. The webinars last for one hour and include representatives from NHS England, Community Pharmacy England and pharmacy professionals delivering the service, answering questions that link to best practice and service delivery. Below are links to the current service panel discussion webinars:
Before using any PGD, make sure you read, understand and follow your organisation’s standard operating procedure (SOP). You must also be authorised and sign the individual PGDs you will use to supply or administer medicines.
Reflection is a powerful tool for ongoing development, and it becomes especially valuable after delivering a service using a PGD. Take time to consider your decisions. Did you make the right choice to supply or not supply the medicine? If faced with the same situation again, would you approach it the same way or do something differently?
To strengthen your reflective skills and gain practical strategies that you can apply to your practice, explore CPPE’s Reflection e-learning. This programme looks at how we reflect and why it is an essential skill for pharmacy professionals.
The Medicines-Related Consultation Assessment tool (MR-CAT) is a global assessment tool used to evaluate consultation skills. You can use it for self-assessment or observed assessment to support your development.
Peer support also plays a key role in effective reflection and professional development. After a consultation, especially when you feel unsure about the outcome, seeking a colleague’s perspective can help you to analyse your decision making and identify areas for development. Consider who you could go to for these conversations. It could be your line manager or clinical supervisor, or it could be another pharmacy professional or group of pharmacy professionals who understand your role and responsibilities.
We encourage you to build these peer networks at our face-to-face workshops. As the scope of practice expands for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, we increasingly work in complex ‘grey’ areas where clinical decisions may not have a single right answer. Strong peer networks help you to navigate these challenges with confidence.
You could book onto one of our face-to-face workshops to connect with local pharmacy professionals who are building similar skills and facing similar challenges, relationships you can continue to develop for mutual support. View the workshop listing here.
Pharmacy technicians attending the PGDs: empowering pharmacy technicians to provide services workshop will begin building these networks during the session. You can also join a PGD support session, where you’ll meet more pharmacy technicians on a similar journey and gain the peer support you need to implement your action plan, become service ready and work confidently with PGDs.
Once you feel confident delivering one service, you may be ready to broaden your scope of practice. At this stage you already have a strong foundation, you simply need to build on it. Revisit the steps on this web page to identify any further learning needs and ensure you continue to deliver high-quality, person-centred services.
To grow your scope of practice with confidence, consider these next steps:
Who can use PGDs? Healthcare professionals who are listed in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, can supply and/or administer medicines under a PGD. This includes registered pharmacists and registered pharmacy technicians.
What is the difference between a PGD and a prescription? A PGD is a written instruction for the supply or administration of medicines to groups of patients who may or may not be individually identified before presentation for treatment, whereas a prescription is a written instruction, signed by an authorised prescriber for medicines to be supplied and or administered to a named patient on an individual basis.
Can pharmacy technicians use PGDs? In June 2024, an amendment was made to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to add registered pharmacy technicians in England registered with the GPhC to the list of healthcare professionals who can supply and/or administer medicines using a PGD. This does not, however, include controlled drugs.
While pharmacy technicians are legally able to supply and administer medicines under PGDs, when delivering NHS-commissioned pharmacy services you must review and follow service specifications to ensure that the service enables delivery via pharmacy technicians. Also, confirm you have the required training and competencies to deliver the service. This ensures that services are delivered safely, effectively and in line with national standards, enabling you to confidently utilise your skills and expertise in supporting patient care.
When should you not use PGDs? A PGD shouldn’t be used in the following circumstances:
