Services Database Emergency Supply Service

The pharmacist will at the request of a patient (or in pandemic situations, a representative of a patient), assess whether there is an urgent need for their medicine, in circumstances where it is impracticable for the patient to obtain a prescription before the next dose is due.

If an emergency supply is necessary, the pharmacist shall make a supply, in accordance with the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 maintaining a record of the supply and labelling the container appropriately. The pharmacy will provide a supply, of up to five days for local residents and to cover the duration of stay in the county for visitors, of medicines that the patient routinely has on a NHS repeat prescription from their GP.

A record of the supply will additionally be made using the paperwork/IT system provided by the commissioner. These are currently the usual triplicate forms. A copy of the record will be sent to the patient’s general practitioner and an anonymised copy sent to the local NHS England team.

This service, as with other locally accredited services, should be available at least five days per week at the accredited community pharmacy. Where the pharmacy is open over the weekend or for rota duties the service must be provided during these out of hours periods.

Over busy holiday periods the service may be extended to include provision of repeat medicines in-hours (this will be done in liaison with both LMC and LPC).

In emergency situations which may cover smaller local areas or the whole CCG the service may be extended to include provision of repeat medicines in-hours.

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.