The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Wales) Regulations 2004

Repeatable prescribing services

40.—(1) The contractor may only provide repeatable prescribing services to any person on its list of patients if it —

(a)satisfies the conditions in sub-paragraph (2); and

(b)has notified the Local Health Board of its intention to provide repeatable prescribing services in accordance with sub-paragraphs (3) and (4).

(2) The conditions referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(a) are —

(a)the contractor holds a contract with a Local Health Board specified in Schedule 9;

(b)the contractor has access to computer systems and software which enable it to issue repeatable prescriptions and batch issues; and

(c)the practice premises at which the repeatable prescribing services are to be provided are located in an area of the Local Health Board in which there is also located the premises of at least one chemist who has undertaken to provide, or has entered into an arrangement to provide, repeat dispensing services.

(3) The notification referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(b) is a notification, in writing, by the contractor to the Local Health Board that it —

(a)wishes to provide repeatable prescribing services; and

(b)intends to begin to provide those services from a specified date; and

(c)satisfies the conditions in paragraph (2).

(4) The date specified by the contractor pursuant to sub-paragraph (3)(b) must be at least ten days after the date on which the notification specified in sub-paragraph (1) is given.

(5) Nothing in this paragraph requires a contractor or prescriber to provide repeatable prescribing services to any person.

(6) A prescriber may only provide repeatable prescribing services to a person on a particular occasion if —

(a)that person has agreed to receive such services on that occasion; and

(b)the prescriber considers that it is clinically appropriate to provide such services to that person on that occasion.

(7) The contractor may not provide repeatable prescribing services to any patient of its to whom—

(a)it is authorised or required by the Local Health Board to provide dispensing services under paragraph 47; or

(b)any of the persons specified in sub-paragraph (8) is authorised or required by the Local Health Board under regulation 20 of the Pharmaceutical Regulations to provide pharmaceutical services.

(8) The persons referred to in paragraph (7) are —

(a)in the case of a contract with an individual medical practitioner, that medical practitioner;

(b)in the case of two or more individuals practising in partnership, any medical practitioner who is a partner;

(c)in the case of a contract with a company any medical practitioner who is a legal and beneficial shareholder in that company; or

(d)any medical practitioner employed by the contractor.