Patient Specific Direction launcher (PT00432)

Patient Specific Direction launcher (PT00432)

Patient Specific Direction (PSD) document templates can be found on the PCIT OneLauncher NonPrescriber and OneLauncher Prescriber under the Select a PSD option. These forms have been optimised to automatically populate relevant patient details, leaving some gaps for the prescriber to fill in extra information.

PSDs should be in place before a non-registered healthcare professional (ie: Health Care Assistant) or another role not covered by a PGD (ie: Nursing Associate) is able to administer medication - often a vaccination - to a named patient. The PSD, completed and signed by a prescriber, authorises the named member of staff to give the medication.

The BMA, RCGP, and CQC offer differing interpretations on how a PSD should be produced and what it includes. Primary Care IT's approach follows a best practice interpretation where a PSD document is generated and saved for each patient. This can be backed up by the staff member acknowledging in the consultation record that they were authorised to administer the medication under a PSD by ticking the box on the vaccination template.

Idea
Practices may take an alternative approach for seasonal vaccination clinics which does not work with this protocol whereby a document is produced listing the names of all patients who the staff member has been authorised to vaccinate. However, Practices may wish to generate a copy of the PSD on a dummy patient to serve as a covering page to the appended list of patient names, which is then stored securely away from EMIS.

What does it look like?

The protocol offers a number of PSD templates for use under a number of headings. Some headings link to a sub menu where related templates are grouped together.


The full list of current PSD templates is: 
  1. Seasonal influenza vaccination
    1. Age 65+
    2. Under 65
    3. Under 18
    4. 6 months to 2 years
  2. Other vaccinations
    1. Td/IPV (Revaxis)
    2. Pneumococcal
    3. Shingles
    4. RSV
    5. MMR
  3. B12
  4. Depo Provera
  5. Gonadorelins
    1. Goserelin (3.6mg or 10.8mg)
    2. Leuprorelin (3.75mg or 11.25mg)
    3. Triptorelin (3mg, 11.25mg, or 22.5mg)
    4. Denosumab
  6. Inhaled salbutamol
  7. Neuroleptic depot injection
    1. Aripiprazole
    2. Zuclopenthixol
    3. Flupentixol
    4. Haloperidol
    5. Paliperidone
  8. Hormones (testosterone)
    1. Testosterone decanoate
    2. Testosterone enantate

Possible PSDs not offered

An update in Autumn 2025 expanded the range of PSDs which are available in the launcher. Some requested PSDs have not been included, namely:
  1. Pertussis for pregnancy
    The majority of pertussis vaccinations for pregnancy are expected to be delivered by registered midwives. If vaccinations are to be given in General Practice, Primary Care IT feels the nature of pregnancy lends itself to medication being administered by a registered healthcare professional with full indemnity protection.  
Notes
While the protocol offers a PSD for RSV, this is intended for use on older adults. RSV in pregnancy falls alongside pertussis in pregnancy.
  1. COVID
    The national provisions for administering COVID are more detailed than other vaccinations which may be due to the use of mass vaccination centres. The volume of patients being given COVID vaccinations by non-registered healthcare staff would have made PSDs an impossible administrative hurdle.  A National Protocol covers all individuals trained to administer COVID vaccinations to patients who are eligible to receive a vaccination.
    The current restrictive criteria for COVID boosters are covered by the National Protocol, while anybody vaccinated outside of that group would require a Patient Group Direction (PGD) or PSD. An ineligible patient being vaccinated would not be refunded, and the Practice may need to justify why a vaccination has been given to somebody who isn't eligible.

PSD templates

As an example, selecting B12 will show the following form:

 

The other forms on the selection list have been standardised, and will behave very similar to the B12 example as shown above, the Practice name and address will be automatically filled in, alongside the current date and relevant patient details as well as the details of the injection.

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