The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005

Preliminary matters before providing ordered drugs or appliances

7.—(1) If a person specified in paragraph (2) asks the pharmacist to do so—

(a) the pharmacist shall give an estimate of the time when the drugs or appliances will be ready; and

(b) if they are not ready by then, the pharmacist shall give a revised estimate of the time when they will be ready (and so on).

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

(a) presenting a non-electronic prescription form or non-electronic repeatable prescription; or

(b) requesting the provision of drugs or appliances in accordance with an electronic prescription form or a repeatable prescription.

(3) Before providing any drugs or appliances in accordance with a prescription form or a repeatable prescription the pharmacist shall ask any person who makes a declaration that the person named on the prescription form or the repeatable prescription does not have to pay the charges specified in regulation 3(1) or (1A) of the Charges Regulations by virtue of either—

(a) entitlement to exemption under regulation 7(1) of the Charges Regulations; or

(b) entitlement to remission of charges under regulation 5 of the Remission of Charges Regulations,

to produce satisfactory evidence of such entitlement, unless the declaration is in respect of entitlement to exemption by virtue of sub-paragraph (a), (c), (d), (e), (f) or (g) of regulation 7(1) of the Charges Regulations or in respect of entitlement to remission by virtue of regulation 5(1)(e) or (2) of the Remission of Charges Regulations, and at the time of the declaration the pharmacist already has such evidence available to him.

(4) If, in the case of a non-electronic prescription form or non-electronic repeatable prescription, no satisfactory evidence, as required by sub-paragraph (3), is produced to the pharmacist, the pharmacist shall endorse the form on which the declaration is made to that effect.

(5) In the case of an electronic prescription, the pharmacist shall transmit to the ETP service—

(a) in a case where exemption from or remission of charges is claimed for all or some of the items included in the prescription, a record of—

(i) the exemption category specified in regulation 7(1) of the Charges Regulations or the ground for remission under regulation 5 of the Remission of Charges Regulations which it is claimed applies to the case, and

(ii) whether or not satisfactory evidence was produced to him as required by sub-paragraph (3);

(b) in any case where a charge is due, confirmation that the relevant charge was paid; and

(c) in a case of a prescription for or including contraceptive substances, confirmation that no charge was payable in respect of those substances.