Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2010 and come into force on 1st May 2010.

Amendment of the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009

2. After paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 1 (provision of pharmaceutical services) to the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009(2), insert-

"(1A) In furtherance of the obligations in sub-paragraphs (1) and (3), a pharmacist, when providing drugs or appliances ordered in accordance with those sub-paragraphs must-

(a)use all reasonable endeavours to provide those drugs or appliances with reasonable promptness;

(b)refrain from taking any action which may delay or prevent the dispensing of those drugs or appliances; and

(c)contact the prescriber or dentist to discuss alternative arrangements where there is likely to be, in that pharmacist's opinion, a clinically significant delay in the dispensing of those drugs or appliances.".

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 ("the Principal Regulations") which regulate the terms on which pharmaceutical services are provided under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978.

Regulation 2 expands on the obligations put on pharmacists by paragraph 4(1) and (3) of Schedule 1 to the Principal Regulations. It explains that pharmacists must use all reasonable endeavours to supply the prescribed drugs without doing anything to delay or prevent that supply and to contact the prescriber where the drugs may not be available.