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

Opening hours: general U.K.

13.—(1) An NHS appliance contractor (C) must ensure that pharmaceutical services are provided at C's appliance contractor premises—

(a) for not less than 30 hours each week;

(b) for not less than 100 hours per week, in the case of which a 100 hours condition (originally imposed under the 2005 Regulations) applies;

(c) if [F1 NHS England] or a Primary Care Trust, or on appeal the Secretary of State, has directed that pharmaceutical services are to be provided at the premises for fewer than 30 hours per week, provided that the person listed in relation to them provides those services at set times and on set days, at the times and on the days so set;

(d) if a Primary Care Trust, or on appeal the Secretary of State, has (under previous Regulations) directed that pharmaceutical services are to be provided at the premises for more than 30 hours per week, and at set times and on set days, at the times and on the days so set; or

(e) if [F1 NHS England] or a Primary Care Trust, or on appeal the Secretary of State, has directed that pharmaceutical services are to be provided at the premises for more than 30 hours each week, but only on set times and on set days as regards the additional opening hours—

(i) for the total number of hours each week required by virtue of that direction, and

(ii) as regards the additional opening hours for which the person listed in relation to the premises is required to provide pharmaceutical services by virtue of that direction, at the days on which and times at which that person is required to provide pharmaceutical services during those additional opening hours, as set out in that direction,

but [F1 NHS England] may, in appropriate circumstances, agree a temporary suspension of services for a set period, where it has received 3 months notice of the proposed suspension.

(2) The hours during which appliance contractor premises must be open by virtue of sub-paragraph (1) are referred to in these Regulations as “core opening hours”.

(3) C must exhibit a notice specifying the days on which and times at which the appliance contractor premises are open for the provision of appliances.

(4) C must, on request, submit a return to [F1 NHS England] setting out—

(a) the days on which and times at which pharmaceutical services are provided at C's appliance contractor premises (including times at which C is providing pharmaceutical services when C is not obliged to do so by virtue of sub-paragraph (1), which are referred to in these Regulations as “supplementary opening hours”); and

(b) the pharmaceutical services which C ordinarily provides at those premises.

(5) Where C changes—

(a) the supplementary opening hours of C's appliance contractor premises; or

(b) the pharmaceutical services which C is ordinarily to provide at those premises,

C must supply [F1 NHS England] with a return informing it of the change.

(6) Where C has notified to [F1 NHS England] (or, before the appointed day, a Primary Care Trust) the days on which and the times at which pharmaceutical services are to be provided at C's appliance contractor premises (for example, in a return under sub-paragraph (4) or (5) or in an application for inclusion in a pharmaceutical list)—

(a) C must ensure that pharmaceutical services are provided at the premises to which the notification relates on the days and at the time set out in that notification (unless the notification has been superseded by a return, or further return, under sub-paragraph (5)); and

(b) C must not change—

(i) the days on which or the times at which pharmaceutical services are to be provided at those premises during core opening hours that are neither additional opening hours nor in total less than 30 (but if those core opening hours are additional opening hours, or are in total less than 30, regulation 65(5) to (7) and paragraphs 15 and 16 apply,

(ii) the total number of any supplementary opening hours (regulation 65(5) to (7) and paragraphs 15 and 16 apply to changes to the total number of core opening hours),

(iii) the days on which or the times at which pharmaceutical services are to be provided at those premises during supplementary opening hours, or

(iv) the pharmaceutical services which P is ordinarily to provide at those premises,

for a period of at least 3 months after that notification was received by [F1 NHS England] (or, before the appointed day, a Primary Care Trust), unless [F1 NHS England] agrees otherwise.

(7) Subject to sub-paragraph (8), where C is prevented by illness or other reasonable cause from complying with C's obligations under sub-paragraph (1), C must, where practicable, make arrangements with one or more NHS appliance contractors, NHS pharmacists or LPS chemists whose premises are situated in the same area for the provision of pharmaceutical services or local pharmaceutical services during that time.

(8) C may only make an arrangement with an LPS chemist under sub-paragraph (7) where that LPS chemist provides local pharmaceutical services which are of a similar description as, and a similar extent to, the pharmaceutical services which C ordinarily provides.

(9) Where there is a temporary suspension in the provision of pharmaceutical services by C for a reason beyond the control of C, C is not in breach of sub-paragraphs (1) and (6), provided that—

(a) C notifies [F1 NHS England] of that suspension as soon as practical; and

(b) C uses all reasonable endeavours to resume provision of pharmaceutical services as soon as is practicable.

(10) Planned refurbishment of appliance contractor premises is neither a “reasonable cause” for the purposes of sub-paragraph (7) nor a “reason beyond the control of C” for the purposes of sub-paragraph (9).

(11) For the purposes of calculating the number of hours that premises are open during a week that includes Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday or a bank holiday, it is to be deemed that the premises were open on that day at the times at which they would ordinarily have been open on that day of the week.

(12) In this Schedule, the “additional opening hours”, when they are required, are those hours during which C would not be providing pharmaceutical services, were C subject to the condition set out in sub-paragraph (1)(a) and not the condition set out in sub-paragraph (1)(e).

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Regulations substituted (6.11.2023) by The Health and Care Act 2022 (Further Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1071), reg. 1(1), Sch. para. 1