EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations further amend the Pharmaceutical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 and the Charges for Drugs and Appliances Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997. The changes arise out of new arrangements for the independent prescribing of drugs and appliances by nurses, opticians and pharmacists. Independent nurse prescribers, unless they are community practitioner nurse prescribers, will no longer be limited to prescribing from a particular formulary, and nor will the new categories of independent prescribers known as optometrist independent prescriber or pharmacist independent prescriber.
Regulation 2 amends the Pharmaceutical Regulations by substituting sub-paragraph (b) in the definition of “independent nurse prescriber”, omitting the definition of “nurses and midwives’ professional register”, substituting a new definition of “Nursing and Midwifery Register”, inserting a new definition of “optometrist independent prescriber”, inserting a new definition of “pharmacist independent prescriber”, substituting a new definition of “prescriber”, substituting a new definition of “prescription form”, substituting sub-paragraph (b) in the definition of “relevant register”, inserting a new sub-paragraph (c) in the definition of “repeatable prescriber” and substituting a new definition of “supplementary prescriber” which includes chiropodists and podiatrists, physiotherapists, diagnostic or therapeutic radiographers and optometrists.
Regulation 3 amends the Charges Regulations by omitting the definition of “Agency”, substituting a new definition of “independent nurse prescriber”, omitting the definition of “medical list”, substituting a new definition of “Nursing and Midwifery Register” in place of the existing definition of “nurses and midwives’ professional register”, inserting a new definition of “optometrist independent prescriber”, inserting a new definition of “pharmacist independent prescriber”, inserting a new definition of “prescriber”, substituting a new definition of “prescription form”, inserting a new definition of “repeatable prescriber”, substituting a new definition of “repeatable prescription”, substituting a new definition of “supplementary prescriber” which includes chiropodists and podiatrists, physiotherapists, diagnostic or therapeutic radiographers and optometrists and substituting a new sub-paragraph (a) in the definition of “terms of service”.