The Misuse of Drugs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

Form of prescriptions

15.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this regulation, a person shall not issue a prescription containing a controlled drug other than a drug specified in Schedule 4 or 5 or temazepam unless the prescription complies with the following requirements, that is to say, it shall—

(a) be in ink or otherwise so as to be indelible and be signed by the person issuing it with his usual signature and dated by him;

(b) insofar as it specifies the information required by sub-paragraphs (e) and (f) below to be specified, be written by the person issuing it in his own handwriting;

(c) except in the case of a health prescription, specify the address of the person issuing it;

(d) if issued by a dentist, have the words “for dental treatment only” written on it and, if issued by a veterinary surgeon or a veterinary practitioner, have a declaration written on it that the controlled drug is prescribed for an animal or herd under his care;

(e) specify the name and address of the person for whose treatment it is issued or, if it is issued by a veterinary surgeon or veterinary practitioner, of the person to whom the controlled drug prescribed is to be delivered;

(f) specify the dose to be taken and—

(i) in the case of a prescription containing a controlled drug which is a preparation, the form and, where appropriate, the strength of the preparation, and either the total quantity (in both words and figures) of the preparation or the number (in both words and figures) of dosage units, as appropriate, to be supplied;

(ii) in any other case, the total quantity (in both words and figures) of the controlled drug to be supplied;

(g) in the case of a prescription for a total quantity intended to be supplied by instalments, contain a direction specifying the amount of the instalments of the total amount which may be supplied and the intervals to be observed when supplying.

(2) Paragraph (1)(b) shall not have effect in relation to—

(a) a prescription issued by a person approved (whether personally or as a member of a class) for the purposes of this paragraph by the Department; or

(b) a prescription containing no controlled drug other than—

(i) phenobarbitone;

(ii) phenobarbitone sodium; or

(iii) a preparation containing a drug specified in paragraph (i) or (ii) above.

(3) In the case of a prescription issued for the treatment of a patient in a hospital or nursing home, it shall be a sufficient compliance with paragraph (1)(e) if the prescription is written on the patient’s bed card or case sheet.