You are an Independent Prescribing Pharmacist working in a GP practice. You specialise in the treatment of heart failure. A new drug has recently come to market which has significant benefits for certain patients with heart failure. It has been shown to reduce the number of hospital admissions by 50%. It is very expensive in comparison to the existing therapies, costing £800 per patient per month.
Two of your patients have been recommended the new treatment by the hospital consultant cardiologist. Based on your clinical review of two patients, you agree and prescribe this new medicine for them.
The CCG contacts your GP practice and tells you not to prescribe the treatment as they consider it to be a specialist hospital drug, and that the knowledge needed to prescribe the treatment is lacking in primary care.
Scenario created by Mr Mike Pettit.