The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013

[F1 Business continuity plans to deal with temporary suspensions U.K.

29D.— (1) An NHS Pharmacist (P) must have at all times an up to date business continuity plan for P’s pharmacy premises, which is available at those premises, to deal with the temporary suspension because of illness or another reason beyond the control of P of the provision of pharmaceutical services at or from those premises that—

(a) is proportionate to the needs of the people who are anticipating or are accustomed to receiving pharmaceutical services from P; and

(b) includes the components set out in sub-paragraph (2).

(2) The components are—

(a) arrangements for notifying NHS England, in the approved manner—

(i) about the prospect of a temporary suspension, whenever such a suspension becomes likely, and

(ii) about a temporary suspension and its anticipated duration, wherever possible before the start of the suspension;

(b) arrangements for updating the pharmacy profile mentioned in paragraph 29C(3) about the suspension, including in due course about the resumption of the provision of pharmaceutical services at the pharmacy premises;

(c) if P provides directed services that provide people with urgent care services, arrangements for ensuring, to the extent practicable, that people are not referred to P’s pharmacy premises for those services during the temporary suspension;

(d) arrangements, where practicable and to an extent that is reasonable having regard to the needs of the people who are anticipating or are accustomed to receiving pharmaceutical services from P, for notifying other providers of pharmaceutical and local pharmaceutical services and providers of primary medical services about the suspension and its anticipated duration;

(e) arrangements for displaying information about the suspension and its anticipated duration—

(i) in the case of distance selling pharmacies, on the website for the distance selling pharmacy, clearly promoted to any user of the website when they first access it, or

(ii) in any other case, on a notice at P’s pharmacy premises visible from outside the premises, which also provides information, where appropriate in the approved manner and to an extent that is reasonable having regard to the needs of the people who are anticipating or are accustomed to receiving pharmaceutical services from P, about the availability of pharmaceutical or local pharmaceutical services at or from other pharmacy premises nearby; and

(f) arrangements, where practicable, for the continuity of care for the people who are anticipating or are accustomed to receiving pharmaceutical services from P, including for any people who—

(i) have booked appointments, or

(ii) attend the pharmacy premises regularly for the supervised administration of medicines.

(3) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2), “approved” means approved by NHS England.

(4) In the event of the temporary suspension, or the likely temporary suspension, of pharmaceutical services provision at or from P’s pharmacy premises, P must use all reasonable endeavours to implement P’s business continuity plan, and in the case of a likely temporary suspension, in a manner proportionate to that likelihood.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 4 para. 29D inserted (31.7.2023) by The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/479), regs. 1(3), 13