Prescribing
12.—(1) Subject to paragraphs 13 and 14, a prescriber must order any drugs, medicines or appliances which are needed for the treatment of any patient who is receiving treatment under the agreement by—
(a)issuing to that patient a non-electronic prescription form; or
(b)creating and transmitting an electronic prescription form,
and such a non-electronic prescription form or electronic prescription form must not be used in any other circumstances.
(2) In issuing any non-electronic prescription form, the prescriber must 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 must so sign only after particulars of the order have been inserted in the prescription form; and
(3) A prescription form must not refer to any previous prescription form.
(4) A separate prescription form must be used for each patient.
(5) In a case of urgency a prescriber may request a pharmacist to dispense a drug or medicine before a prescription form is issued or created , 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 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001(2); and
(c)the prescriber undertakes to furnish the pharmacist, within 72 hours, with a prescription form completed in accordance with sub-paragraph (2) or with an electronic prescription form.
(6) In a case of urgency a prescriber may request a pharmacist to dispense an appliance before a prescription form is issued or created 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 of 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) or with an electronic prescription form.
(7) A prescriber may only order drugs, medicines or appliances by means of an electronic prescription form if the prescription is not for 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 4 or 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.
(8) A prescriber who orders drugs, medicines or appliances by means of an electronic prescription form must issue the patient with a written record of the prescription which has been created.
1971 c.38. Section 2 (Controlled drugs and their classification for purposes of this Act.) was relevantly amended by paragraph 2(a) of schedule 17 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c.13).
S.I. 2001/3998. Schedule 4 was amended by S.I. 2009/3136 and S.I. 2013/625. Schedule 5 was amended by S.I. 2005/2864.