The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Wales) Regulations 2013

Matters to be considered when issuing directions in respect of pharmacy opening hours

23.—(1) Where a Local Health Board issues a direction setting any times or days under this Part, it must in doing so seek to ensure that the hours at which premises are open for the provision of pharmaceutical services are such as to ensure that the pharmaceutical services are provided on such days and at such times as are necessary to meet the needs of people in the neighbourhood, or other likely users of the pharmacy, for pharmaceutical services.

(2) In considering the matters mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) the Local Health Board may have regard to any pharmaceutical services that are being provided in that neighbourhood in circumstances where the NHS pharmacist is not obliged to provide those services.

(3) The Local Health Board may only direct that an NHS pharmacist may provide pharmaceutical services at premises for less than 40 hours in any week if it is satisfied that the provision of pharmaceutical services in the neighbourhood is likely to be adequate to meet the need for such services at times when the NHS pharmacist is not providing pharmaceutical services.

(4) The Local Health Board may only direct that an NHS pharmacist must provide pharmaceutical services at premises for more than 40 hours in any week where it is satisfied that the NHS pharmacist will receive reasonable remuneration in respect of the additional hours for which he or she is required to provide pharmaceutical services (and any additional remuneration payable in accordance with a determination made as a consequence of regulation 37 in respect of those hours is “reasonable remuneration” for these purposes).