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SCHEDULE 5Terms of service for NHS appliance contractors who provide pharmaceutical services only by the provision of appliances

Preliminary matters before providing appliances

6.—(1) If the person specified in sub-paragraph (2) asks the NHS appliance contractor to do so—

(a)the NHS appliance contractor must give an estimate of the time when the appliance will be ready; and

(b)if it is not ready by then, the NHS appliance contractor must give a revised estimate of the time when it will be ready.

(2) A person specified in this sub-paragraph is a person—

(a)presenting a non-electronic prescription form or non-electronic repeatable prescription; or

(b)requesting the provision of appliances in accordance with an electronic prescription form or an electronic repeatable prescription.

(3) Before providing an appliance in accordance with a prescription form or repeatable prescription—

(a)the NHS appliance contractor must ask any person who makes a declaration that the person named on the prescription form or repeatable prescription does not have to pay the charges specified in regulation 3 of the Charges Regulations (supply of drugs and appliances by chemists) by virtue of either—

(i)entitlement to exemption under regulation 8 of the Charges Regulations (exemptions), or

(ii)entitlement to remission of charges under regulation 5 of the Remission of Charges Regulations (entitlement to full remission and payment),

to produce satisfactory evidence of such entitlement unless the declaration is in respect of entitlement to exemption by virtue of regulation 8 of the Charges Regulations or in respect of entitlement to remission by virtue of regulation 5(1)(e) or (2) of the Remission of Charges Regulations and at the time of the declaration the NHS appliance contractor already has such evidence available to him or her;

(b)if, in the case of a non-electronic prescription form or a non-electronic repeatable prescription no satisfactory evidence, as required by paragraph (a), is produced to the NHS appliance contractor, the NHS appliance contractor must endorse the form on which the declaration is made to that effect; and

(c)in the case of an electronic prescription form or an electronic repeatable prescription, the NHS appliance contractor must comply with any requirements of the ETP service to provide—

(i)a record of the exemption from or remission of charges claimed and whether satisfactory evidence was produced, as referred to in paragraph (a), and

(ii)in any case where a charge is due, confirmation that the relevant charge was paid.