The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (General Medical Services) and (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Amendment Regulations 2003

Insertion of regulation 33A

13.  After regulation 33 (obtaining minor surgery services), insert the following regulation—

“Repeatable prescribing services

33A.— (1) Subject to paragraphs (7) and (8), a doctor may provide repeatable prescribing services to any person on his list of patients if that doctor—

(a) satisfies the conditions in paragraph (2); and

(b) has notified the Primary Care Trust of his intention to provide repeatable prescribing services in accordance with paragraphs (3) and (4),

and a doctor who satisfies the requirements of sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) is referred to in these Regulations as a repeatable prescribing doctor.

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

(a) the doctor is included in the medical list of a Primary Care Trust specified in Schedule 6A;

(b) the doctor has access to computer systems and software which enable him to issue repeatable prescriptions and batch issues;

(c) the doctor is not participating in a pilot scheme on the use of electronic prescribing as described in paragraph 1A of Schedule 2(1); and

(d) the practice premises is located in a Primary Care Trust’s area in which there is also located the premises of at least one chemist who has undertaken to provide, or has entered into an arrangement to provide, repeat dispensing services.

(3) The notification referred to in paragraph (1)(b) is a notification, in writing, by a doctor to the Primary Care Trust in whose medical list he is included, that the doctor—

(a) wishes to provide repeatable prescribing services;

(b) intends to begin to provide those services from a specified date; and

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

(4) The date specified by a doctor pursuant to paragraph (3)(b) must be at least one week after the date on which the Primary Care Trust receives the notification specified in paragraph (3).

(5) A doctor may not provide repeatable prescribing services unless—

(a) he is a repeatable prescribing doctor; or

(b) he is acting on behalf of a repeatable prescribing doctor pursuant to paragraph 19 of Schedule 2.

(6) Nothing in this regulation requires a doctor to provide repeatable prescribing services to any person.

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

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

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

(8) A doctor may not provide repeatable prescribing services to any patient of his to whom he is authorised or required by the Primary Care Trust under regulation 20 of the Pharmaceutical Regulations to provide pharmaceutical services.

(9) A Primary Care Trust must maintain a list, in these Regulations referred to as a repeatable prescribing list, of the names of those doctors included in its medical list who are repeatable prescribing doctors.”.

(1)

Paragraph 1A of Schedule 2 was inserted by S.I. 2001/2890.