The National Health Service (Primary Medical Services Section 17C Agreements) (Scotland) Regulations 2004

Prescribing

11.—(1) Subject to paragraphs 13 and 14, a prescriber shall order any drugs, medicines or appliances which are needed for the treatment of any patient who is receiving treatment under the agreement by issuing to that patient a prescription form and such a prescription form shall not be used in any other circumstances.

(2) In issuing any such prescription form, the prescriber shall sign the prescription form in ink with the prescriber’s initials, or forenames, and surname in the prescriber’s own handwriting and not by means of a stamp and shall so sign only after particulars of the order have been inserted in the prescription form, and–

(a) the prescription form shall not refer to any previous prescription form; and

(b) a separate prescription form shall be used for each patient.

(3) In a case of urgency a prescriber may request a pharmacist to dispense a drug or medicine before a prescription form is issued, only if–

(a) that drug or medicine is not a Scheduled drug;

(b) that drug is not a controlled drug within the meaning of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971(1), other than a drug which is for the time being specified in Schedules 4 or 5 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001(2); and

(c) the prescriber undertakes to furnish the pharmacist, within 72 hours, with a prescription form or repeatable prescription completed in accordance with sub-paragraph (2).

(4) In a case of urgency a prescriber may request a pharmacist to dispense an appliance before a prescription form is issued only if–

(a) that appliance does not contain a Scheduled drug or a controlled drug within the meaning of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, other than a drug which is for the time being specified in Schedule 5 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001;

(b) in the case of a restricted availability appliance, the patient is a person, or it is for a purpose, specified in the Drug Tariff; and

(c) the prescriber undertakes to furnish the pharmacist, within 72 hours, with a prescription form completed in accordance with sub-paragraph (2).

(1)

1971 c. 38.

(2)

S.I. 2001/3998. Schedule 4 was amended by S.I. 2003/1432.