What is Shared Care?

This is where a secondary care service, or other provider, asks your GP to assist in managing your care, following treatment which comes under the following -

A medicine is considered to be eligible for a shared care arrangement if it can be initiated in secondary care and then prescribed by a GP in primary care and meets the following criteria:

• prescribed for a potentially serious condition
• complex (intended use likely to be outwith the clinical experience of a GP)
• relatively high adverse effects profile
• may require specific monitoring and dose titration
• new, or rarely prescribed

The Shared Care Agreements are for use between a General Practitioner (GP) and the Specialist Service. It is for the individual GP to determine whether the agreement is suitable for use and can be practicably implemented, with due regard to the resource requirements of the SCA.  Where an agreement is not entered into, the specialist service will be responsible for making arrangements for the patients prescription.

Does my GP have to agree to shared care?

No, the GP doesn't need to take on shared care - it's down to the decision of the GP and/or the medical practice, as to whether the agreement to monitor, prescribe and support a patients treatment, is within the competence of themselves and the stipulations in any agreement that the clinic/hospital wish to make as well as the resource level of the practice.

 There are a lot of shared care agreements that are in use however, and if the practice was going to refuse to accept the agreement, they would let you and the requestor know. 

What if they say no?

The secondary care or other clinic, would be responsible for arranging a prescription and monitoring your on-going condition. The practice would notify them of this decision. 

Where can I find out more?

The NHS East Region Formularly pages have more information on some of the more common shared care agreements in use - all of these, except for Methotrexate, are optional for your GP to take part in, but we usually support them where we can as this is in the best interest of our patients - Formulary | East Region Formulary

What about private shared care?

The practice policy is that no shared care agreements will be entered into with a private provider. This is due to variations in the standard of private treatment, as well as being unfair on those on NHS waiting lists who may be waiting to be seen for the same condition. If you are already receiving private treatment, we can only take over prescribing of this, when seen by NHS specialists for your condition, assuming they make the same recommendation for treatment.