The government wants to use controversial powers to enable a “serious shortage protocol” JULIEN BEHAL/PAPharmacists will overrule GPs to ration drugs under a no-deal Brexit, The Times has learnt. Ministers will order them to alter prescriptions without first contacting the patient’s GP in order to mitigate any extreme shortages, according to a leaked document. It called for rapid changes to medicine rules to “support the continuity of supply of medicines in a ‘no-deal’ scenario”. Last night Labour accused ministers of an “astonishing power grab” while GPs demanded more details about how patient safety would be protected. The government wants to use controversial so-called Henry VIII powers to enable ministers to issue a “serious shortage protocol” for pharmacies to…

Source: The Times December 07, 2018 00:03 UTC