These Regulations revoke and replace, with amendments, the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 1989 as amended. They provide for the making and recovery of charges for drugs and appliances supplied under the National Health Service Act 1977. Provision for dental charges and optical charges is made separately.

Accordingly, these Regulations provide for charges for drugs and appliances supplied by doctors and chemists providing pharmaceutical services (regulations 3 and 4) and by Health Authorities and NHS trusts (regulation 5) and at walk-in centres (regulation 6) and when they are supplied in accordance with patient group directions (regulation 7). Provision is also made in relation to cases where a local authority acts in partnership arrangements with an NHS body (regulation 12).

The Regulations also provide for exemption and remission from charges in certain cases (regulation 8), for the issue of exemption certificates (regulation 9), for the issue of pre-payment certificates (regulation 10) and for repayment of charges in certain cases (regulation 11).