Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) has worked with the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to develop a new elearning programme about patient group directions (PGDs).

PGDs provide a legal framework that allows some registered health professionals to supply and/or administer specified medicines to a pre-defined group of patients, without them having to see a prescriber, such as a doctor or nurse prescriber.

This elearning programme supports healthcare professionals and organisations who are considering the need for, developing, authorising and using PGDs to deliver healthcare services in line with legislation and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) medicines practice guideline (MPG2).

It outlines the legislation and guidance supporting appropriate and legal PGD use. It also considers when PGDs should not be used and which other legal mechanisms would be more appropriate.

The programme is divided into sections which cover a different aspect of PGD use and development. Learners are also signposted to a wealth of resources, including the SPS website which contains supporting guidance, answers to frequently asked questions and relevant national guidance.

On completion of the programme learners should be able to:

• determine when PGD use is legal and appropriate; and identify when alternative legal mechanism should be considered
• use current legislation and guidelines to develop and implement appropriate PGDs to ensure timely access to safe and effective care
• apply the appropriate competency frameworks and governance arrangements within their professional responsibility to use, develop, authorise, review or update a PGD
• access online resources to support the use, development and authorisation of PGDs

For more information and to access the resource, please visit the Patient Group Directions programme page.