Frequently asked Questions about Shared Care for Patients and Carers
What is shared care?
- Shared care is a formal local agreement that enables General Practitioners (GPs) to accept
responsibility for the safe prescribing and monitoring of specialist medicines. - Shared care provides transfer of care from a specialist to the GP, where this is suitable and in the
patient’s best interests. - The patient is not usually discharged by the specialist and care is shared between the patient, the
GP and the specialist.
What is the specialist’s role in shared care?
- Confirm the diagnosis and start prescribing the medicine.
- Provide the patient with written and spoken information about the medicine.
- Prescribe and monitor the medicine until the dose is stable.
- Explain shared care to the patient, answer any questions and discuss any concerns.
- Write to the GP and request shared care when the condition and medicine are stable.
- Prescribe and monitor the medicine while waiting for the GP to decide about shared care.
- Provide advice to the GP if this is asked for.
- Review the medicine at regular intervals to make sure it is still safe and effective.
What is the GP’s role in shared care?
- Review specialist requests for shared care of medicines promptly.
- If the GP doesn’t agree to shared care, they will write to the specialist within 14 days, giving reasons.
- If accepting shared care, prescribe and monitor the medicine as set out in the specialist’s instructions and in the shared care agreement.
- Report any serious side effects to the specialist.
- Make sure the patient is given appointments for monitoring the medicine
What is the patient’s role in shared care?
- Take the medicine as agreed.
- Request repeat prescriptions from the GP in enough time.
- Attend follow up monitoring appointments with the GP and the specialist.
- If not able to attend an appointment with the GP or the specialist, inform them as soon as possible and make another appointment.
- Report suspected side effects to the specialist or GP.
Shared care from private providers
The practice will enter shared care agreements with private providers when appropriate to do so (each
case is considered in line with local guidance). To do this we will need to be confident the specialist has the
appropriate experience to initiate treatment and that they will work with and communicate with the
practice to ensure ongoing safe prescribing of the medication.
If you have sought a private specialist, you will need to remain under their care and funding this (if relevant)
is the patients responsibility.