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

Repeatable prescribing services E+W

52.—(1) A contractor may only provide repeatable prescribing services to a person on its list of patients if the contractor—

(a) satisfies the conditions in sub-paragraph (2), and

(b) has notified the relevant Local Health Board of its intention to provide repeatable prescribing services in accordance with sub-paragraphs (3) and (4).

(2) The conditions referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(a) are—

(a) the contractor has access to computer systems and software which enable it to issue non-electronic repeatable prescriptions and batch issues, and

(b) the practice premises at which the repeatable prescribing services are to be provided are located in an area of the Local Health Board in which there is also located the premises of at least one NHS pharmacist who has undertaken to provide, or has entered into an arrangement to provide, repeat dispensing services.

(3) The notification referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(b) is a notification, in writing, by the contractor to the relevant Local Health Board that it—

(a) wishes to provide repeatable prescribing services,

(b) intends to begin to provide those services from a date specified in the notification, and

(c) satisfies the conditions in sub-paragraph (2).

(4) The date specified by the contractor under sub-paragraph (3)(b) must be at least 10 days after the date on which the notification specified in sub-paragraph (1) is given.

(5) Nothing in this paragraph requires a contractor or prescriber to provide repeatable prescribing services to any person.

(6) A prescriber may only provide repeatable prescribing services to a person on a particular occasion if—

(a) that person has agreed to receive such services on that occasion, and

(b) the prescriber considers that it is clinically appropriate to provide such services to that person on that occasion.

(7) The contractor may not provide repeatable prescribing services to any person on its list of patients to whom any person specified in sub-paragraph (8) is authorised or required by the Local Health Board to provide pharmaceutical services in accordance with arrangements under section 80 (arrangements for pharmaceutical services) and section 86 (persons authorised to provide pharmaceutical services) of the Act.

(8) The persons referred to in sub-paragraph (7) are—

(a) in the case of a contract with an individual medical practitioner, that medical practitioner,

(b) in the case of a contract with two or more individuals practising in partnership, any medical practitioner who is a partner,

(c) in the case of a contract with a company limited by shares, any medical practitioner who is both a legal and beneficial shareholder in that company, or

(d) any medical practitioner employed by the contractor.

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 3 para. 52 in force at 1.10.2023, see reg. 1(2)