Patient Group Directions for NHS primary care services in the South West of England

Patient Group Direction

A Patient Group Direction is defined in law (Regulation 213 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012) as:

A written direction that relates to the sale or supply and to the administration of a description or class of medicinal product and that is signed by a doctor or dentist and by a pharmacist, and by any other person who may be required to sign it in the circumstances specified for its use, and which relates to sale or supply and to administration to persons generally (subject to any exclusions that may be specified in the PGD).

A Patient Group Direction provides a legal framework to allow the supply and/or administration of a specified medicine(s), by named, authorised, registered health professionals, to a pre-defined group of patients needing prophylaxis or treatment for a condition described in the PGD, without the need for a prescription or an patient-specific direction from a prescriber. Using a PGD is not the same as prescribing.

Further information is available here

Download a PGD

The PGDs available on this website should only be used by designated health care professionals as mentioned in law and documented in the staff characteristics of the specific PGD.

All NHS PGDs must only be used as part of a commissioned NHS service. Immunisations in line with the national immunisation schedule are commissioned by NHS England.

Contact Details

Contact the regional Screening and Immunisations Team with any queries relating to NHS immunisation and vaccination – england.swscreeningandimms@nhs.net

If you query is about the content of one of our authorised PGDs, please contact Public Health England on Immunisation@phe.gov.uk