Marden Medical Practice Policy
Sharing care with the private sector can carry higher risks than sharing care with the NHS and therefore decisions on this will be made on a case by case basis, and will always be discussed by at least two GPs. Decisions on monitoring and dose changes will be taken by the consultant. The decision to share care, or not to, will be based on review of some of the following factors:
- Whether the consultant is on the appropriate GMC specialist register, a member of the relevant Royal College and based in the UK.
- How often the consultant proposes to review the patient. If private review stops then prescribing by the practice will no longer be safe and will have to stop, possibly with little or no notice. For patients who are on an NHS waiting list, sharing care with a private consultant would be an interim measure until care is taken over by the NHS.
- Communication between us and the consultant – we would expect access to email communication for any queries, with prompt replies.
- The nature of the prescribing – shared care is more likely to be possible if the drug is one which is licensed for the indication, would be given by an NHS consultant and for which there are no significant NHS guidelines or reports that recommend against its use
