This Order brings into force sections 26 and 27 of the Health Act 2009 (and related repeals in Schedule 6 to that Act), which provide for new arrangements for entry by pharmacy and appliance contractors onto the pharmaceutical lists held by Primary Care Trusts. Pharmaceutical lists are the lists of contractors who are entitled to provide pharmaceutical services from specified premises in the area of a Primary Care Trust. The principal change is that listing applications will from 1st September 2012, subject to exceptions, be assessed against plans known as pharmaceutical needs assessments, which all Primary Care Trusts are required to produce.

This Order also brings into force section 28 of the Health Act 2009, which provides for new arrangements for the sanctions that may be imposed against contractors on pharmaceutical lists who are in breach of their terms of service.

This Order also brings into force section 29 of the Health Act 2009 (and a related repeal in Schedule 6 to that Act) which enables Strategic Health Authorities to commission local pharmaceutical services from Primary Care Trusts, and Primary Care Trusts to be providers of local pharmaceutical services in prescribed circumstances. Local pharmaceutical services contracts are an alternative to the pharmaceutical list system as a basis for providing NHS community pharmaceutical services.

This Order also brings into force a repeal that relates to an entry in section 276 of the National Health Service Act 2006 which was omitted when paragraph 11 of Schedule 1 of the Health Act 2009 was brought into force on 19th January 2010 by the Health Act 2009 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/30).