🗒️ Note: This guide reflects the Medicines, Ethics and Practice (MEP) guidance and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Read it alongside your organisation's clinical governance policies, and check the current MEP edition for the latest requirements. For complex cases, consult your local NHS England Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer.
What the FP10PCD is and when to use it
The FP10PCD is the only legally valid form for a private prescription for a Schedule 2 or 3 controlled drug dispensed in a community pharmacy in England. It was introduced to let NHS Prescription Services monitor private CD prescribing.
🗒️ Note: A Schedule 2 or 3 CD private prescription written on headed paper, a standard FP10, or any other form cannot legally be dispensed by a community pharmacy.
You don't need an FP10PCD for:
Veterinary CD prescriptions
Private prescriptions issued and dispensed within the same hospital legal entity
💡 Tip: Wales and Scotland use equivalent forms, the WP10PCD and the PPCD(1).
Ordering and storing FP10PCD pads
Order FP10PCD pads from Primary Care Support England (PCSE) at pcse.england.nhs.uk. You'll need your private prescriber identification number before you can order (see the next section).
Store blank pads locked in a secure drawer or cupboard at all times.
Never pre-sign blank forms.
Store your practice stamp separately from your prescription pads.
Report lost or stolen forms immediately to your local NHS England team and the police.
Your private prescriber identification number
Every private prescriber is allocated a unique six-digit prescriber identification number by their local NHS England regional team. This number must appear on every FP10PCD you write.
🗒️ Note: This is not your GMC number, your GPhC number, or your NHS performer number. If you don't have one, contact your local NHS England team.
Completing each field
Every field below is a legal requirement. If any are missing or incorrect, the pharmacist can't legally dispense the prescription.
Prescriber's signature — Sign with your usual handwritten signature, in indelible ink. The pharmacist needs to recognise the signature as genuine, or take reasonable steps to confirm it is. Another prescriber can sign in place of the named prescriber, as long as their own address is on the form. A wet ink signature is always required, electronic signatures aren't accepted for private FP10PCDs.
Date — This is the date you signed the prescription. The prescription is valid for 28 days from this date, or from a later start date if one is stated on the form, whichever is later. Any owing balance also needs to be supplied within this 28-day window.
Prescriber's address — Include your full practice or clinic address. This address must be in the UK, this is a legal requirement for Schedule 2 and 3 CD prescriptions.
Name of the controlled drug — Write the drug name in full, exactly as it appears in the BNF or the manufacturer's Summary of Product Characteristics. Don't abbreviate it.
Formulation — State the formulation, for example tablets, capsules, or oral solution. "Tabs" and "caps" are acceptable abbreviations. If you're prescribing a modified-release preparation, make this unambiguous, for example "m/r" or "s/r".
Strength — Only needed if the drug is available in more than one strength. If you're prescribing multiple strengths of the same drug, prescribe each strength separately with its own dose and quantity in words and figures.
Dose — State an amount and a frequency. A frequency alone, or an instruction without an amount, isn't legally acceptable, for example "as directed" or "PRN" on their own, or "twice a day" without a dose amount. Instead, state the full instruction, for example "one as directed" or "two when required".
Total quantity (words and figures) — Write the total quantity in both words and figures. This is one of the most common sources of error. For tablets and capsules, express this as the total number of dosage units or the total quantity in milligrams. For liquids, express it as total volume in millilitres. Where you're prescribing multiple strengths, list the quantity for each separately, in both words and figures.
🗒️ Note: If either the words or the figures for total quantity are missing, the pharmacist can correct this themselves. If both are missing, the prescription can't be dispensed.
Quantity prescribed — There's no strict legal maximum, but the recommended maximum supply for Schedule 2, 3 and 4 CDs is 30 days. If you prescribe more than this, document your clinical justification in the patient's notes.
Patient's full name and address — Include the patient's full name and full home address. "No fixed abode" or "NFA" is acceptable if the patient doesn't have a fixed address. A PO Box address isn't acceptable.
Dental wording — If you're a dentist, add the words "for dental treatment only" to the form.
Instalment direction — If the prescription is intended to be dispensed in instalments, include both the amount to be supplied per instalment and the interval between each supply. Both elements are required. The first instalment must be dispensed within 28 days of the appropriate date.
🗒️ Note: One drug per form. The FP10PCD is only for Schedule 2 or 3 CDs. Any other medication for the same patient, including Schedule 4/5 CDs or non-controlled medicines, needs its own separate prescription.
Correcting technical errors
A pharmacist can correct:
A minor typographical error or spelling mistake
Either the words or figures (not both) of a missing total quantity
To do this, the pharmacist needs to be satisfied the prescription is genuine, and must attribute the amendment with their name, date, signature, and GPhC registration number.
A pharmacist cannot correct:
A missing date
An incorrect dose, form, or strength
These need correcting by the original prescriber, or in an emergency, another CD-authorised prescriber. A covering letter from the prescriber isn't an acceptable way to make this correction.
Spoiled prescriptions
For minor corrections, cross out the error, then initial and date it.
For significant errors, draw a line through the entire form, write "SPOILED" or "VOID" on it, and retain it for audit.
Issue a new FP10PCD.
What happens after dispensing
After dispensing, the pharmacy:
Submits the original FP10PCD to NHS Prescription Services (NHSBSA) monthly, using the FP34PCD submission document.
Ensures this arrives no later than the 5th day of the following month.
Submits it through a separate private CD account, not the NHS account.
🗒️ Note: The pharmacist marks the prescription with the date of supply at the time it's dispensed.
💡 Tip: Only prescribe sugar-free or colour-free formulations where clinically indicated, and state this explicitly on the form. These products carry a greater potential for misuse.
Completion checklist
Check this before handing over or posting any FP10PCD:
Written on an official FP10PCD form, not headed paper or a standard FP10
Prescriber's handwritten signature in indelible ink
Date of signing included
Prescriber's UK address included
Prescriber's six-digit private prescriber ID number included (not your GMC number)
Patient's full name included
Patient's full address included (NFA acceptable, PO Box not acceptable)
Drug name written in full, no abbreviations
Strength specified, if the drug has more than one strength
Formulation stated
Dose clearly defined, not "as directed" alone
Total quantity in both words and figures
Maximum 30 days' supply, or a documented reason in the patient's notes if more
No other medications on the same form
"For dental treatment only" added, if you're a dentist
Instalment direction included, if dispensing in instalments
Form is within its 28-day validity window
Blank pads stored securely, with no pre-signing
Key contacts and resources
Order FP10PCD pads: pcse.england.nhs.uk
Private prescriber ID number: contact your local NHS England regional team
NHSBSA Prescription Services: [email protected] / 0300 330 1349
BNF Controlled Drugs guidance: bnf.nice.org.uk
Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001: legislation.gov.uk
MEP (RPS members): rpharms.com/publications/the-mep