National Health Service Act 2006

134Pilot schemes

(1)Primary Care Trusts may establish pilot schemes.

(2)In this Act, a “pilot scheme” means one or more agreements—

(a)made by a Primary Care Trust in accordance with this Chapter,

(b)under which local pharmaceutical services will be provided (otherwise than by the Primary Care Trust), and

(c)the parties to which do not include any other Primary Care Trust.

(3)A pilot scheme may include arrangements—

(a)for the provision of services which are not local pharmaceutical services, but which may be provided under this Act, other than under Chapter 1 of this Part, and whether or not of the kind usually provided by pharmacies,

(b)for the provision of training and education (including training and education for persons who are, or may become, involved in the provision of local pharmaceutical services).

(4)A pilot scheme may not combine arrangements for the provision of local pharmaceutical services with arrangements for the provision of primary medical services or primary dental services.

(5)In determining the arrangements it needs to make in order to comply with section 126, a Primary Care Trust may take into account arrangements under a pilot scheme made by it.

(6)The functions of an NHS trust and an NHS foundation trust include power to provide any services to which a pilot scheme applies.

(7)In this Chapter—

• “local pharmaceutical services” means such services of a kind which may be provided under section 126, or by virtue of section 127 (other than practitioner dispensing services) as may be prescribed for the purposes of this Chapter, and

• “piloted services” means services provided under a pilot scheme (including any services to which the scheme applies as a result of subsection (3)).

(8)“Practitioner dispensing services” means the provision of drugs, medicines or listed appliances (within the meaning given by section 126) by a medical practitioner or dental practitioner to a patient of his pursuant to arrangements made by virtue of section 132(1).