Notice Type
Departmental
Notice of Approval of an Alternative Method of Recording Dispensing of Methadone by Pharmacies Pursuant to regulation 39 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977, I, Karen O. Poutasi, Director-General of Health approve an alternative method of recording dispensing of methadone by pharmacies within the requirements of regulations 37 and 38 of the said regulations. Alternative Method The method consists of 2 parts: 1. Methadone Patient Medication Record. This record shall contain the name and address of the patient, the name of the prescriber, the prescriber's authority to treat dependence (clinic, authorised by the clinic or gazetted) and provision for notes of any communications with the prescriber, incidents, etc. 2. Methadone Patient Dispensing Record. This record shall be in the form of grid sheets with the days of the month either 115 or 16-31 entered in each column across the top, the name of the patients and 2 columns for relevant prescription numbers down the right hand side and a row to record the total dispensed on each day across the bottom. Each sheet shall refer only to 1 form and strength of methadone and include a provision to enter the month and year to which the sheet relates. The form shall also include instructions on recording the commencement of a new prescription (by circling the first supply from the new prescription), `takeaways' (by entering an ``X'' under the date to which the takeaway refers) and uncollected doses (by entering a ``'' under the date where the methadone dose was not collected). The daily total of methadone dispensed as recorded on the bottom row of the sheet shall be entered daily into the appropriate record within the pharmacy's controlled drug Register. These records shall be retained continuously on the premises of the pharmacy as a permanent record of the business carried on there. Dated at Wellington this 17th day of September 1999. Dr KAREN O. POUTASI, Director-General of Health.
Publication Date
30 Sep 1999

Notice Number

1999-go7101

Page Number

3296