The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015

Notice requirements in respect of relevant prescribers E+W

51.—(1) For the purposes of this regulation, “a relevant prescriber” is—

(a) a chiropodist or podiatrist independent prescriber;

(b) an independent nurse prescriber;

(c) a pharmacist independent prescriber;

(d) a physiotherapist independent prescriber; or

(e) a supplementary prescriber.

(2) The contractor must give notice to [F1 NHS England] where—

(a) a relevant prescriber is employed or engaged by a contractor to perform functions which include prescribing;

(b) a relevant prescriber is a party to the contract whose functions include prescribing; or

(c) the functions of a relevant prescriber whom the contractor already employs or has already engaged are extended to include prescribing.

(3) The notice under paragraph (2) must be given in writing to [F1 NHS England] before the expiry of the period of seven days beginning with the date on which—

(a) the relevant prescriber was employed or engaged by the contractor or, as the case may be, became a party to the contract (unless immediately before becoming such a party, paragraph (2)(a) applied to that relevant prescriber); or

(b) the functions of the relevant prescriber were extended to include prescribing.

(4) The contractor must give notice to [F1 NHS England] where—

(a) the contractor ceases to employ or engage a relevant prescriber in the contractor's practice whose functions include prescribing in the contractor's practice;

(b) a relevant prescriber ceases to be a party to the contract;

(c) the functions of a relevant prescriber employed or engaged by the contractor in the contractor's practice are changed so that they no longer include prescribing in the contractor's practice; or

(d) the contractor becomes aware that a relevant prescriber whom it employs or engages has been removed or suspended from the relevant register.

(5) The notice under paragraph (4) must be given in writing to [F1 NHS England] before the end of the second working day after the day on which an event described in sub-paragraphs (a) to (d) occurred in relation to the relevant prescriber.

(6) The contractor must provide the following information when it gives notice to [F1 NHS England] in accordance with paragraph (2)—

(a) the person's full name;

(b) the person's professional qualifications;

(c) the person's identifying number which appears in the relevant register;

(d) the date on which the person's entry in the relevant register was annotated to the effect that the person was qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances for patients;

(e) the date on which—

(i) the person was employed or engaged (if applicable),

(ii) the person became a party to the contract (if applicable), or

(iii) the functions of the person were extended to include prescribing in the contractor's practice.

(7) The contractor must provide the following information when it gives notice to [F1 NHS England] in accordance with paragraph (4)—

(a) the person's full name;

(b) the person's professional qualifications;

(c) the person's identifying number which appears in the relevant register;

(d) the date on which—

(i) the person ceased to be employed or engaged in the contractor's practice,

(ii) the person ceased to be a party to the contract,

(iii) the functions of the person were changed so as to no longer include prescribing in the contractor's practice, or

(iv) the person was removed or suspended from the relevant register.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Regulations substituted (6.11.2023) by The Health and Care Act 2022 (Further Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1071), reg. 1(1), Sch. para. 1