Services Database Pharmacy Emergency Repeat Medication Supply Service: Pilot Scheme (5 LPCs Involved) (Durham)

This service is being provided by pharmacies across the North East within the following LPC areas:

• County Durham & Darlington LPC;
• Gateshead & South Tyneside LPC;
• North of Tyne LPC;
• Sunderland LPC; and
• Tees LPC.

The purpose of the Community Pharmacy Emergency Repeat Medication Supply Service (PERMSS) is to ensure that patients can access an urgent supply of their regular prescription medicines where they are unable to obtain a prescription before they need to take their next dose. The service may be needed because the patient has run out of a medicine, or because they have lost or damaged their medicines, or because they have left home without them. The aim of this service is to relieve pressure on general practitioner out of hours appointments over the winter period.

In an emergency, a pharmacist can supply prescription only medicines (POMs) to a patient (who has previously been prescribed the requested POM) without a prescription at the request of the patient. This emergency supply is not an NHS service and patients may therefore be asked to pay the cost of the medicine. This can lead to some patients seeking supplies or emergency prescriptions from urgent or emergency care providers. This service will allow the supply of a medicine at NHS expense to patients referred to community pharmacy by NHS 111 where the pharmacist deems that the patient has immediate need for the medicine and that it is impractical to obtain a prescription without undue delay. It will also allow emergency supplies to be made to patients self-presenting at a providing pharmacy during the defined out of hours periods.

This service is being commissioned using the provisions within the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 which allow pharmacists to make emergency supplies, subject to certain conditions.

The pharmacy contractor has a duty to ensure that pharmacists involved in the provision of the service have relevant knowledge and are appropriately trained in the operation of the service.