NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) has developed guidance to provide NHS Boards in Scotland with a framework for the development of policies, procedures and systems to ensure the security of prescription forms against theft, abuse and fraud.
The Security of Prescription Form Guidance can be accessed here
Although forgeries are becoming more elaborate, common issues on forged prescriptions may include:
- Unclear or vague prescriber details
- Mis-spellings
- Unusually high quantities or doses
- Out-of-area addresses (of the doctor, service and/or patient)
- Is the prescriber known
- Has the title ‘Dr’ been inserted before the signature
- Is the medicine known to be commonly misused
Prescription Missing/Lost/Stolen
If you have identified a lost/stolen prescription this must be reported to the loth.adminrehpharmacy@nhs.scot by completing a Lost/Stolen Prescription Form. This enables the healthboard to cascade this information out to the wider Community Pharmacy network to prevent medicines being incorrectly obtained. If the prescription involved a Controlled Drug item, the completed form should also be sent to the Control Drugs Governance Team loth.controlleddruggovernance@nhs.scot along with a CDAO form
Prescription Pad Missing/Lost/Stolen
If you prescribing pads are missing, lost, or stolen as per NSS Security of Prescription Form Guidance and to support the healthboard to cascade this information, this must be reported to the loth.adminrehpharmacy@nhs.scot by completing a Lost/Stolen Prescription Pad Form and report to the police.
Lost/Stolen Prescription Pad Form
Fraudulent Prescription
If you are presented with a prescription that has been amended/altered, is a photocopy or contains questionable items/quantities the prescription should be queried with the prescriber. Remember, if there have been any alterations to the script, this should be initialled and dated by the prescriber. Staff also need to be vigilant that alterations have not been added after the prescription has been issued – all concerns should be verified with the prescriber even if initialled and dated. If the dispensing contractor is in any way suspicious that the person presenting the prescription does not have the authority to do so, they should contact the local police;
- Alert the prescriber under whose name the prescription has been presented under
- Retain the fraudulent script to prevent further fraudulent attempts to obtain medicines
- The police should be contacted and a reference number obtained (this is needed when you complete the Fraudulent Prescription Cascade Form).
- Complete a Fraudulent Prescription Cascade Form
- The completed form should be sent to loth.adminrehpharmacy@nhs.scot , if the prescription involved a Controlled Drug item, the completed form should also be sent to the Control Drugs Governance Team loth.controlleddruggovernance@nhs.scot along with a CDAO form
- This form will be cascaded by the board to the Community Pharmacy network