Pharmaceutical Services and Charges for Drugs and Appliances (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Amendment of regulation 3 of the principal Regulations

15.—(1) Regulation 3 (supply of drugs and appliances by chemists) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (1) for “A chemist” substitute “Except as provided in paragraph (1A), a chemist”.

(3) After paragraph (1) insert –

“(1A) A chemist who provides repeat dispensing services to a patient shall, subject to paragraph (3), make and recover from that patient in respect of each batch issue –

(a) in respect of an item of elastic hosiery a charge of £6·50, that is to say a charge of £13·00 per pair;

(b) in respect of the supply of each other appliance and of each quantity of drug, a charge of £6·50.

(1B) Where a charge is paid under paragraph (1A), the person making the payment shall on doing so sign a declaration in writing on the batch issue that the relevant charge has been paid.”.

(4) For paragraph (3) substitute –

“(3) No charges shall be made and recovered under paragraph (1) or paragraph (1A) where –

(a) there is exemption under regulation 7 and a declaration of entitlement to exemption is duly completed by or on behalf of the patient –

(i) in cases falling within paragraph (1A), on the batch issue at the time that the drug or appliance is supplied, or

(ii) in all other cases, on a prescription form;

(b) there is entitlement to remission of the charge under regulation 3 of the Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations and a declaration of entitlement to remission is duly completed by or on behalf of the patient either –

(i) in cases falling within paragraph (1A), on the batch issue at the time that the drug or appliance is supplied, or

(ii) in all other cases, on the prescription form.”.

(5) In paragraph (4) –

(a) after “prescription form” insert “or repeatable prescription”; and

(b) after “paragraph (1)” insert “or paragraph (1A)”.

(6) In paragraph (5), after “paragraph (1)” insert “or paragraph (1A)”.