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9.1	Ordering of medicines in hospital: Ordering Stock Medicines
	Medicines may be ordered for stock using an official requisition only by an authorised person. This may be an authorised nurse or member of Pharmacy Staff i.e. Assistant Technical Officer. The authorised person who generates the order of medicines must not be the same person who receives and reconciles that order.
9.1.1	A stock list generated by the Pharmacy’s Stock Control System serves as an order form and is the usual method of ordering. Alternative means of recording orders such as use of a hand held data capture receiver are also in use in certain areas. The appropriate local stationery must be used to order extra supplies outwith routine order times. ‘Urgent’ orders must be limited to those requests that cannot wait until the next routine order and are deemed emergency items. Orders shall be in a permanent record and any blank requisitions kept in a secure place on the ward. It is the duty of the Nurse with continuing responsibility of the ward/department to ensure that medicines are only ordered by a person authorised to order medicines. It is their responsibility to ensure that medicines requisitioning stationery is tightly controlled and secure. The stock list is maintained by regular review of the contents and stock levels.
9.1.2	Completed signed orders are placed in the pharmacy box, which is locked and sent to the Pharmacy on the designated ordering days.
9.2	Ordering of medicines in hospital: Ordering Non-Stock Medicines
9.2.1	Ordering of medicines in hospital: Wards with a Clinical Pharmacist
	Medicines may be ordered by a member of pharmacy staff or by the appropriate member of nursing staff as part of their duties in meeting the pharmaceutical care needs of the patient. Medicines not included on the agreed stock list will be ordered in this way. Only in exceptional circumstances will the dispensary issue a non-stock medicine without authorisation from the appropriate Clinical Pharmacist. In the absence of the clinical pharmacist during normal working hours or at the weekend and out of Pharmacy hours, the dispensary will only issue non-stock medication after the dispensary/on call pharmacist has verified the request. In hospitals without a pharmacy department local arrangements for managing stocks will apply.
9.2.2	Ordering of medicines in hospital: Wards without daily access to a Clinical Pharmacist
	As above, the dispensary will normally only issue non-stock medication on production of the patient’s medicine chart. In hospitals without a pharmacy department local arrangements for managing ward stocks will apply.
9.3	Ordering of medicines in hospital: Telephoned and faxed orders from Hospitals without a Pharmacy
	It will not normally be necessary to telephone or fax orders but it may be necessary in some circumstances according to local policy. It is the responsibility of the Senior Nurse in charge and the Pharmacist to define a local policy. Please refer to the NHS Tayside Policy on Faxing.
9.4	Ordering of medicines in hospital: Samples and Clinical Trial Materials
No medicinal or wound management product samples are to be left in clinical areas or pharmacy departments or with staff. (See Guidance on dealing with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry (Annex 2 of NHS Tayside Code of Corporate Governance).