Amendment of the Charges for Drugs and Appliances Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19973
1
The Charges for Drugs and Appliances Regulations are amended as follows.
2
In regulation 2(1) (interpretation)—
a
omit the definition of “Agency”;
b
for the definition of “independent nurse prescriber”18 substitute the following definition—
“independent nurse prescriber” means a person—
- a
who is registered in the Nursing and Midwifery Register; and
- b
against whose name in that register is recorded an annotation signifying that he is qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances as a community practitioner nurse prescriber, a nurse independent prescriber or a nurse independent/supplementary prescriber;
c
omit the definition of “medical list”;
d
for the definition of “nurses and midwives’ professional register”19 substitute the following definition—
“Nursing and Midwifery Register” means the register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Council under Article 5 of the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001;
e
after the definition of “Nursing and Midwifery Register” insert the following definition—
“optometrist independent prescriber” means a person—
- a
who is registered in the register maintained by the General Optical Council in pursuance of section 7 of the Opticians Act 1989; and
- b
against whose name in that register is recorded an annotation that he is qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances as an optometrist independent prescriber;
f
after the definition of “patient” insert the following definition—
“pharmacist independent prescriber” means a person—
- a
who is registered in the register maintained in pursuance of Articles 6 and 9 of the Pharmacy (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 or in Part 1 of the register maintained under Article 10(1) of the Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Order 2007; and
- b
against whose name in that register is recorded an annotation signifying that he is qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances as a pharmacist independent prescriber;
g
after the definition of “pre-payment certificate” insert the following—
“prescriber” means a doctor, dentist, an independent nurse prescriber, an optometrist independent prescriber, a pharmacist independent prescriber or a supplementary prescriber;
h
for the definition of “prescription form”20, substitute—
“prescription form” means a form provided by the RBSO and issued by a prescriber to enable a person to obtain pharmaceutical services and—
- a
includes a prescription form provided and issued under equivalent arrangements having effect in England, Scotland or Wales; and
- b
does not include a repeatable prescription;
i
after the definition of “repeat dispensing services” insert the following—
“repeatable prescriber” has the same meaning as in the Pharmaceutical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997;
j
for the definition of “repeatable prescription”21 substitute the following definition—
“repeatable prescription” means a prescription contained in a form provided by the RBSO and issued by a repeatable prescriber to enable a person to obtain pharmaceutical services, and which—
- a
is generated by a computer but signed by a repeatable prescriber; and
- b
indicates that the drugs or appliances ordered on that form may be provided more than once, and specifies the number of occasions on which they may be provided;
k
for the definition of “supplementary prescriber”22 substitute the following definition—
“supplementary prescriber” means a person—
- a
whose name is registered in—
- i
the Nursing and Midwifery Register,
- ii
Part 1 of the Register of Pharmacists maintained under Article 10(1) of the Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Order 2007,
- iii
the register maintained in pursuance of Articles 6 and 9 of the Pharmacy (Northern Ireland) Order 1976,
- iv
the part of the register maintained by the Health Professions Council in pursuance of Article 5 of the Health Professions Order 2001 relating to—
- aa
chiropodists and podiatrists;
- bb
physiotherapists; or
- cc
diagnostic or therapeutic radiographers; or
- v
the register of optometrists maintained by the General Optical Council in pursuance of section 7 of the Opticians Act 1989; and
- b
against whose name is recorded in the relevant register an annotation signifying that he is qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances as a supplementary prescriber or, in the case of the Nursing and Midwifery Register, a nurse independent/supplementary prescriber;
l
in the definition of “terms of service”, for sub-paragraph (a) substitute the following sub-paragraph—
a
in relation to doctors, the terms of service contained or referred to in the Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 200423 and Schedule 2 to the Pharmaceutical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997;