The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Wales) Regulations 2020

Refusal to provide drugs or appliances ordered

10.—(1) An NHS pharmacist may refuse to provide the drugs or appliances ordered on a prescription form or repeatable prescription where—

(a) the NHS pharmacist reasonably believes that it is not a genuine order for the person named on the prescription form or the repeatable prescription (for example because they reasonably believe the form has been stolen or forged),

(b) it appears to the NHS pharmacist that there is an error on the prescription form or on the repeatable prescription or its associated batch issue (including a clinical error made by the prescriber) or that, in the circumstances, providing the drugs or appliances would be contrary to the NHS pharmacist’s clinical judgement,

(c) the NHS pharmacist or other persons on the premises are subjected to or threatened with violence by the person presenting the prescription form or repeatable prescription, or by any person accompanying that person, or

(d) the person presenting the prescription form or repeatable prescription, or any other person accompanying that person, commits or threatens to commit a criminal offence.

(2) An NHS pharmacist must refuse to provide a drug ordered on a prescription form or repeatable prescription where the order is for a prescription only medicine which the prescriber was not entitled to prescribe.

(3) An NHS pharmacist must refuse to provide a drug or appliance ordered on a prescription form or a repeatable prescription where—

(a) a SSP has effect in respect of—

(i) the requested drug or appliance, or

(ii) drugs or appliances of a specified description, and the requested drug or appliance is of that description, and

(b) alternative provision has already taken place in accordance with the SSP.

(4) An NHS pharmacist may refuse to provide a drug or appliance ordered on a prescription form or a repeatable prescription where—

(a) a SSP has effect in respect of—

(i) the requested drug or appliance, or

(ii) drugs or appliances of a specified description, and the requested drug or appliance is of that description,

(b) a registered pharmacist is of the opinion, in the exercise of their professional skill and judgement, that supplying a different product or quantity of product to that ordered by the prescriber is unreasonable or inappropriate, and

(c) the NHS pharmacist is unable to provide the drug or appliance within a reasonable timescale,

but if the NHS pharmacist does refuse to do so, they must provide the patient or the person requesting the drug or appliance on behalf of the patient with appropriate advice, as necessary, about reverting to the prescriber for the prescriber to review the patient’s treatment.

(5) An NHS pharmacist must refuse to provide drugs or appliances ordered on a repeatable prescription where—

(a) the NHS pharmacist has no record of that prescription,

(b) the NHS pharmacist does not, in the case of a non-electronic repeatable prescription, have any associated batch issue and such batch issue is not presented to them,

(c) it is not signed by a repeatable prescriber,

(d) to do so would not be in accordance with any intervals specified in the prescription,

(e) it would be the first time a drug or appliance had been provided pursuant to the prescription and the prescription was signed more than 6 months previously,

(f) the repeatable prescription was signed more than 1 year previously,

(g) the expiry date on the repeatable prescription has passed, or

(h) the NHS pharmacist has been informed by the repeatable prescriber that the prescription is no longer required.

(6) Where a patient requests the supply of drugs or appliances ordered on a repeatable prescription (other than on the first occasion that they make such a request), an NHS pharmacist must only provide the drugs and appliances so ordered if they are satisfied—

(a) that the patient in respect of whom the prescription was written—

(i) is taking or using, and is likely to continue to take or use, the drug or appliance appropriately, and

(ii) is not suffering from any side effects of the treatment which indicates the need or desirability of reviewing the patient’s treatment,

(b) that the medication regimen of, or manner of utilisation of the appliance by, the patient in respect of whom the prescription was written has not altered in a way which indicates the need or desirability of reviewing the patient’s treatment, and

(c) there have been no changes to the health of the patient in respect of whom the prescription was written which indicate the need or desirability of reviewing the patient’s treatment.