Shared Care Agreements 

What is a Shared Care Agreement? 

A Shared Care Agreement (SCA) is a formal arrangement between an NHS specialist and your GP. It allows care to be safely shared between both services.  

Before your care can be transferred to your GP, the specialist must ensure that: 

• You are stable on the treatment 
• All monitoring and follow-up arrangements are clearly outlined 
• Your GP has agreed to take over prescribing and monitoring responsibilities 

Can my GP refuse Shared Care? 

SCAs within the NHS are voluntary. Your GP is not required to accept shared care if they do not feel they have the appropriate expertise, resources, or capacity to manage the treatment safely. 

Your GP may also decline a prescription request if they believe: 

• Continuing the medication is no longer safe 
• The medication has not been taken as prescribed or in line with the agreed treatment plan

Private specialists 

SCAs are generally arranged between NHS specialists and NHS GPs. Shared Care is not normally available for private patients, unless your private provider is delivering a commissioned NHS service (e.g. Right to Choose). 

Some private clinics provide assessments or advice but do not provide prescribing or ongoing monitoring. If you have received care from a private clinic that does not prescribe medication and ask your GP to start or continue medication, we may not be able to agree to this request. 

NHS GPs are not obligated to take over privately initiated medication nor are they obligated to arrange any monitoring for medication prescribed privately. 

GPs can only prescribe medication when they have the necessary specialist knowledge and capacity to prescribe and monitor the medication safely. If these requirements cannot be met, prescribing may not be safe or appropriate. 

If we are unable to prescribe the requested medication, you can: 

• Seek an alternative private provider that offers prescribing ongoing monitoring, or
• Book a routine appointment with a GP to be referred to an NHS service. Please be aware that NHS waiting times can be long and are outside of the Surgery’s control 

The Farmhouse Surgery cannot recommend private providers who offer prescribing services.