Services Database Emergency Supply Service

The Community Pharmacy Emergency Supply Service allows the emergency supply of a patient’s medicine out of hours at NHS expense in order to reduce the number of patients contacting urgent
and emergency care providers. This may include both prescription only and other medicines usually obtained on prescription by the patient from their GP (see exclusions and additional limits below). The emergency medicine provisions scheme permits the supply of sufficient quantities of most prescription only medicines. The scheme permits supplies for up to 5 day for residents and 2 weeks for visitors. Exceptions apply for inhalers, creams/ointments and oral contraceptives where manufacturers’ packaging dictates a minimum supply. Schedule 1, 2 or 3 Controlled Drugs (except phenobarbitone or phenobarbitone sodium for epilepsy) cannot be supplied in an
emergency.

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.