Abstract

This article stated that general practitioners may prescribe ‘borderline substances’ on FP10 for specified conditions on the recommendation of a hospital consultant. The DHSS has pointed out that this is misleading: the recommendation of a consultant is not required nor is it a material factor. The Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) constantly reviews ‘borderline substances’ and the circumstances in which they can be regarded as drugs. The Committee’s recommendations are published in the NHS Drug Tariff and in MIMS. When a ‘borderline substance’ is prescribed in accordance with ACBS advice the prescription should be endorsed ‘ACBS’; it is then not usually challenged.