The National Health Service (Charges and Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

New paragraphs 29B and 29C

17.  After paragraph 29A (accessing summary care records) insert—

“Electronic Prescription Service access

29B.   An NHS pharmacist (P) must have access to the EPS at P’s pharmacy premises, and must ensure that the access that P has to the EPS at those premises is constant and reliable during core and supplementary opening hours, in so far as that is within the control of P.

Contact via NHSmail, pharmacy profiles and the Central Alerting System

29C.— (1) An NHS pharmacist (P) must ensure that pharmacy staff at pharmacy premises (including locums) have access to, and are able to send and receive NHSmail from, a premises specific NHSmail account.

(2) P must ensure that at least two members of the pharmacy staff have live, linked NHSmail accounts to the premises specific NHSmail account (unless fewer than two members of the pharmacy staff are engaged in the provision of NHS services).

(3) P must ensure that there is a comprehensive and accurate pharmacy profile in respect of P’s pharmacy premises in the NHS Digital directory of services, and P must verify and where necessary update the information contained in that profile at least once each quarter of the financial year.

(4) P must ensure that there is a comprehensive and accurate pharmacy profile in respect of P’s pharmacy premises on the NHS.uk website, and P must verify and where necessary update the information contained in that profile at least once each quarter of the financial year.

(5) As regards the Central Alerting System (CAS) operated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency(1) (MHRA)—

(a) P must register P’s premises specific NHSmail address with MHRA as an address at which P is content to accept notifications as part of the CAS (unless they are content with the address already in the system);

(b) if P changes P’s premises specific NHSmail address, P must immediately notify MHRA of P’s new premises specific NHSmail address, in accordance with paragraph (a); and

(c) P must monitor P’s premises specific NHSmail account with sufficient frequency to ensure the safe and effective supply of medicinal products at or from P’s pharmacy premises, and must act on the alerts P receives as part of the CAS, as appropriate.”.

(1)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care. Its address is 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU.