Drugs & Poisons Controls in Victoria

Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006 - Requirements for registered health practitioners

Guide to the Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006

The Guide provides explanations for some aspects of the regulations that apply to various categories of registered health practitioner. It also provides some examples of how compliance may be achieved.

Guide to the Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006 (86kb, pdf)

The following documents provide summaries of key requirements for specific categories of registered health practitioner under the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 and the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006 (both available on the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website).

Interstate prescriptions for Schedule 8 poisons - from 1 July 2010 (50kb, pdf)

Policy for the issue of permits to prescribe Schedule 8 poisons - May 2011 (101kb, pdf)

Changes to expiry dates of Schedule 8 permits in certain circumstances - from 1 October 2012

Medical practitioners

•  Key legislative requirements for medical practitioners
  Summary of key requirements that directly affect medical practitioners in Victoria.
  
  
 Schedule 8 permit requirements plus notification requirements

• Hospital Circular 5/2009 via Department of Health (27kb, pdf)
  
• Prisons Circular via Department of Justice (28kb, pdf)
  
• Circular to pharmacotherapy prescribers directly (36kb, pdf)
  
• General circular to a range of medical practitioner, nurse practitioner and pharmacy organisations (35kb, pdf)
  
 Permit requirements for dexamphetamine and methylphenidate - info for medical practitioners

 Requirements for managing drugs in general practice - info for medical practitioners
Summary to assist in understanding storage and related requirements in a general practice clinic.

•  Obtaining information relating to drug seeking patients - info for medical practitioners
  
  
•  Scams by drug seeking patients - info for medical practitioners

Medical practitioners may use the following forms to apply for approval to treat a patient with Schedule 8 drugs, apply for various warrants, and to notify the department of a patient's drug dependence.

• Application for a permit to treat a patient with Schedule 8 drugs (181kb, pdf) (to submit via fax or post)
• Application for a permit to treat a patient with Schedule 8 drugs (SmartForm – to submit online) 
• Application for a warrant to obtain or use ovulatory stimulants (29kb, pdf)
• Application for a warrant to obtain or use prostaglandins (31kb, pdf)
• Application for a warrant to obtain or use retinoids (41kb, pdf)
• Application for a warrant to obtain or use thalidomide (52kb, pdf)
• Notification of drug dependent person (to submit via fax or post)
• Notification of drug dependent person (SmartForm – to submit online)
  
• Notification of Lost or Stolen Prescription Pad or Pages

• Information on how to pre-fill SmartForms

Nurses

• Key legislative requirements for Nurse Practitioners June 2012
• Key requirements for nurses in residential aged care facilities
• Key requirements for nurses providing acute care (not including nurse practitioners)
• Key legislative requirements for nurses with a Scheduled Medicines (Rural and Isolated Practice) endorsement

Summaries to assist nurses in understanding their obligations under the legislation.

Pharmacists

• Key legislative requirements for pharmacists - interventions
  Summary to clarify pharmacists' legislative and professional intervention responsibilities.
  
  
•  Management of Schedule 8 poisons in pharmacy
  
  
•  Supplying multiple packs or repeats - information for pharmacists
  
  
• Scams by drug seeking patients - information for pharmacists
  
  
• Scam of forged prescriptions for anabolic steroids - information for pharmacists
  
  
• Self administration by medical practitioners - info for pharmacists
  Case studies provided to indicate what steps pharmacists could and/or should have taken to comply with their legislative responsibilities.
  
  
• Notification of forged or altered prescription (to submit via fax or post)
  Form to report forged or altered prescriptions.
• Notification of forged or altered prescription (SmartForm – to submit online) 
  Form to report forged or altered prescriptions.

Stolen pages for computer-generated prescriptions

To view clinic information, which is pre-printed on the rear of pages for computer-generated prescriptions that have been reported stolen or forged, click on the following Dynamic Table and search for the suburb of a clinic.

Stolen and forged prescription tables

To view the details of practitioners whose names have been fraudulently used on forged prescriptions (handwritten or computer-generated (CGP), click on the following Dynamic Table and search for the surname of a practitioner.

Note: The listed practitioners might not currently practise at the clinics that are listed in the table.

Veterinary practitioners

• Key legislative requirements for veterinary practitioners June 2012
  Summary to advise veterinary practitioners of their obligations under the legislation and to facilitate their understanding of it.
  
  
• Etorphine application form

Dental practitioners

• Key legislative requirements for registered dental practitioners June 2012
  Summary to advise dental practitioners of their obligations under the legislation and to facilitate their understanding of it.

Optometrists

• Key legislative requirements for optometrists and orthoptists June 2012
  Summary to advise optometrists of their obligations under the legislation and to facilitate their understanding of it.
  

Podiatrists

• Key legislative requirements for podiatrists June 2012
  Summary to advise podiatrists of their obligations under the legislation and to facilitate their understanding of it.