The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Wales) Regulations 2004

Repeatable prescriptions

41.—(1) A prescriber who issues a repeatable prescription must at the same time issue the appropriate number of batch issues.

(2) A prescriber who has provided repeatable prescribing services to a person must, as soon as is practicable, notify that person, and make reasonable efforts to contact the chemist providing repeat dispensing services to that person, if —

(a) the prescriber makes any change to the type, quantity, strength or dosage of drugs, medicines or appliances ordered on that person’s repeatable prescription; or

(b) the prescriber considers that it is no longer appropriate or safe for that person to receive the drugs, medicines or appliances ordered on the person’s repeatable prescription, or no longer appropriate or safe for the person to continue to receive repeatable prescribing services.

(3) If a prescriber provides repeatable prescribing services to a person in respect of whom the prescriber has previously issued a repeatable prescription which has not yet expired (for example, because that person wishes to obtain the drugs, medicines or appliances from a different chemist), the prescriber must make reasonable efforts to notify the chemist which has in its possession the repeatable prescription which is no longer required.

(4) If a prescriber has issued a repeatable prescription in respect of a person, and (before the expiry of that repeatable prescription) it comes to the prescriber’s notice that that person has been removed from the list of patients of the contractor on whose behalf the prescription was issued, that prescriber must —

(a) notify that person; and

(b) make reasonable efforts to notify the chemist who has been providing repeat dispensing services to that person,

that the repeatable prescription should no longer be used to obtain or provide repeat dispensing services.