The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Wales) Regulations 2023

Repeatable prescriptions

53.—(1) A prescriber who issues a non-electronic repeatable prescription must at the same time issue the appropriate number of batch issues.

(2) Where a prescriber wants to make a change to the type, quantity, strength or dosage of drugs, medicines or appliances ordered on a person’s repeatable prescription, the prescriber must—

(a) in the case of a non-electronic repeatable prescription—

(i) give notice to the person, and

(ii) make reasonable efforts to give notice to the NHS pharmacist providing repeat dispensing services to that person,

that the original repeatable prescription is no longer to be used to obtain or provide repeat dispensing services and make arrangements for a replacement repeatable prescription to be issued to the person, or

(b) in the case of an electronic repeatable prescription—

(i) arrange with the Electronic Prescription Service for the cancellation of the original repeatable prescription, and

(ii) create a replacement repeatable prescription in respect of the person and give notice to the person that this has been done.

(3) Where a prescriber has created an electronic repeatable prescription for a person, the prescriber must, as soon as practicable, arrange with the Electronic Prescription Service for its cancellation if, before the expiry of that prescription—

(a) the prescriber considers that it is no longer safe or appropriate for the person to—

(i) receive the drugs, medicines or appliances ordered on the person’s electronic repeatable prescription, or

(ii) continue to receive repeatable prescribing services,

(b) the prescriber has issued the person with a non-electronic repeatable prescription in place of the electronic repeatable prescription, or

(c) it comes to the prescriber’s notice that the person on whose behalf the prescription was issued has been removed from the list of patients of the contractor.

(4) Where a prescriber has cancelled an electronic repeatable prescription in respect of a person in accordance with sub-paragraph (3), the prescriber must give notice of the cancellation to the person as soon as possible.

(5) A prescriber who has issued a non-electronic repeatable prescription in respect of a person must, as soon as possible, make reasonable efforts to give notice to the NHS pharmacist that that repeatable prescription must no longer be used to provide repeat dispensing services to that person, if, before the expiry of that repeatable prescription—

(a) the prescriber considers that it is no longer safe or appropriate for the person to—

(i) receive the drugs, medicines or appliances ordered on the person’s repeatable prescription, or

(ii) to continue to receive repeatable prescribing services,

(b) the prescriber issues or creates a further repeatable prescription in respect of the person to replace the original repeatable prescription other than in the circumstances referred to in sub-paragraph (2)(a) (for example, because the person wants to obtain the drugs, medicines or appliances from a different NHS pharmacist), or

(c) it comes to the prescriber’s notice that the person on whose behalf the prescription was issued has been removed from the list of patients of the contractor.

(6) Where the circumstances in sub-paragraph (5)(a) to (c) apply in respect of a person, the prescriber must, as soon as possible, give notice to that person that their repeatable prescription must no longer be used to obtain repeat dispensing services.