Reminder: Use of SafeScript is mandatory under Victorian Law
18 October 2023
A SafeScript update from the Department of Health
It has been over five years since Victoria’s Real Time Prescription Monitoring system ‘SafeScript’ first started collecting records for high risk medicines in July 2018 and over three years since mandatory checking was implemented in April 2020.
The Department of Health is receiving an increasing number of requests from the Coroner’s Court of Victoria and Ahpra in situations where medical practitioners have not taken all reasonable steps to check SafeScript before prescribing or supplying a monitored medicine. This has been coupled with an increasing number of reviews and interventions by the Department of Health where a SafeScript check has not occurred.
You are reminded that you must take all reasonable steps to check the records and information in SafeScript each time before prescribing or supplying a monitored medicine for a patient under your care unless that patient is in an aged care facility, hospital, prison/gaol, or palliative care.
Failing to check SafeScript can result in serious disciplinary actions, and there have been recent cases where conditions have been placed on health practitioner registration following a failure to check the system prior to prescribing or supplying a monitored medicine.
How do I check SafeScript?
To meet the legal requirements of performing a SafeScript check, you must view your patient’s records in the SafeScript portal. You can view your patient’s SafeScript in two ways:
1. Via the web-based portal
Log in to SafeScript via https://www.safescript.vic.gov.au/ and manually search for your patient.
2. Via your prescribing software, if it is integrated with SafeScript
Click on the pop-up notification that appears on your desktop. This will take you directly to your patient’s SafeScript profile for you to review their prescribing and dispensing records.
When you see a red or amber pop-up notification on your screen, you must click on the amber or red notification to view your patient’s SafeScript profile. Simply looking at the amber or red pop-up notifications on your screen without going into SafeScript to review your patient’s profile does not meet the requirements of checking SafeScript, as you will not have all the information available to make an informed decision about whether to supply a monitored medicine.
A green pop-up notification means that there have been no prescriptions issued in the last 6 months or that there are no alerts and that prescriptions in the last 6 months are from the same prescriber.
Medical practitioners should click on a green pop-up notification and view the patient’s SafeScript profile in instances where the notification states there are no alerts and that prescriptions in the last 6 months are from the same prescriber.
If you have any technical issues accessing your SafeScript account, please call 1800 723 379 or email it.SafeScript@health.vic.gov.au
