Keeping pharmacy profile information up-to-date

Read more at: DoS

DSP owners will need to ensure that information at the NHS website and Directory of Services (DoS) is up-to-date, including in regards to NHS services being provided. The method for this is:

The DSP’s website and app

Services, contact and other information can be kept up-to-date. Similarly information can be provided within the patient app, if one is being used.

DSPs and NHS website profiles

The NHS website lists Distance Selling Pharmacies (DSPs) separately under the ‘Internet Pharmacy’ section, which can be accessed from the search results page before or after a patient uses the NHS website to search for a pharmacy. The profile information on the NHS website for DSPs includes the pharmacy name, telephone number, and website. DSPs should use their own websites to provide additional services and other relevant information.

The profiles for brick-and-mortar pharmacies and DSPs were originally set up differently by the NHS website team because essential dispensing services are not meant to be provided for the pharmacy’s locality as per pharmacy market entry regulations.

DSP use of NHS Profile Manager

The NHS Profile Manager team launched new NHS website profiles for distance selling pharmacies (DSPs) in late 2024. DSP owners must enter some information about their DSP by 31st March 2025.

The NHS Profile Manager allows DSPs to update your opening information during any unplanned closures without having to contact your DoS lead.

Currently, DSP profiles only display the organisation name, website address, phone number and opening times. DSP owners will be able to add services and facilities information later, currently scheduled for the end of December 2025.

DSP owners will need to enter full contact information and opening hours by 31st March 2025, and services information later once there is ability to do so.

The NHS Profile Manager team will communicate to DSPs about profile requirements.

DSPs owners updating DoS

DSPs can contact DoS leads in the event that changes are required which cannot yet be entered via NHS Profile Manager. NHS Profile Manager already enables opening houes to be entered there, so there is no need to contact local DoS leads regarding hour changes. Local DoS teams help to manage and maintain local DoS information. A list of local contact details is available to users of NHS Service Finder (available for health care staff such as pharmacy teams members and LPC members): List of local DoS team contact info (login required). At present NHS Profile Manager does not enable the email address to be corrected if the wrong one is listed. However, community pharmacy contractors ought to be able to update DoS information without needing to directly contact the local DoS team (see ‘NHS Profile Manager‘ section). In some cases Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) may work with local DoS teams in relation to relevant pharmacy contractor queries about local DoS information.

Further information

DSP owners can also check with their service IT provider that they are correctly listed as providing relevant services. Some services require MYS or other registration. And information about services is also within the: Services hub.

Refer to: pharmacy change of circumstance guide/checklist and the ‘Other portals and systems‘ section of this webpage. Many of your online accounts might be associated with an email address.

See also: Mailing lists.

For information about regulatory matters and applications for location change, see: Market entry regulations.

If your address has changed or needs correcting, see also: the change of circumstance guide/checklist because your address may need updating in multiple places.

The NHSBSA NHS England’s pharmacy contract team maintains information about which pharmacies are within each of the Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) and should feed this across to NHSBSA. Changes to dataset of pharmacies and LPCs may normally be requested by LPCs.

About the LPC code

The local organisation for community pharmacy is the Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC).

Each LPC has an LPC code allocated to it. This is a unique identifying code used by the NHS for various purposes, including supporting LPCs and reporting. It is a seven-character code beginning with ‘YL02’.

Each pharmacy is connected to a single LPC code, and therefore the authorative source determining which pharmacy contractor is allocated to which LPC is ultimately determined by this coding.

LPCs request for changes to the LPC or its codes/names

If LPCs identify a change is needed e.g. to the LPC name/structure, or to a pharmacy’s LPC code assigned to it (i.e. if NHSBSA data may not have the correct pharmacy connected to the right LPC and LPC code), then the LPC should contact the NHS England’s pharmacy contract team and ask them to liaise with PCSE, the STP and NHSBSA to investigate.

NHS England’s pharmacy contract team should liaise with relevant party(ies) so that: PCSE, the STP and NHSBSA can investigate if the request can be approved and implemented.

LPC names within datasets

The template LPC constitutions recommend LPCs formal names include ‘LPC’. Some LPCs may use a trading name such as ‘Community Pharmacy x’. See subsection above for info. It is recommended that ‘&’ is used instead of ‘and‘ to help consistency. NHSBSA’s lists of LPCs generally use ‘&’ instead of ‘and‘ within the list of LPC names.

If pharmacy teams believe their pharmacy is assigned to the wrong LPC or that NHS data about their LPC should be amended, the pharmacy team can contact their LPC.

If a change occurs to email or postal address, you may need to change your listing on mailing lists.

Community Pharmacy England email updates include options to ‘unsubscribe’ or ‘update your profile’ at the bottom of each email. See also: Community Pharmacy England mailing list sign-up. The sign-up option is also found at the bottom of each Community Pharmacy England webpage.

Read more at: NHS Profile Manager

Read more at: NHS website profiles

See: Updating NHSmail.

You may also update your personal NHSmail profile information where required by logging into the NHSmail portal.

Every pharmacy has a POC. If ownership/changes occur or a correction is needed, you may need to request to exeter.helpdesk@nhs.net that the right POC code(s) are set to the pharmac(ies).

The ODS portal enables you to check the POC code portal entry, and which pharmac(ies) are connected to it. If you have more than one pharmacy, you should have at least one POC. See: Checking pharmacies linked to your POC code using ODS portal factsheet.

Read more at: POC.

Community Pharmacy England strongly recommends that pharmacy contractors planning ODS changes work through all of the change of circumstance guide/checklist.

See also: ODS codes.

NHS England is responsible for administering opening hours for pharmacies, which is handled locally by its regional offices. You may be required to notify local NHSE&I or request a change. Rea more at: Opening hours.

See also: NHS website and DoS, both of which set out the opening hours of each pharmacy contractor.

For information about regulatory matters and applications for ownership change, see: Market entry regulations.

Refer to: pharmacy change of circumstance guide/checklist and the ‘Regulator information‘, ‘Other portals and systems‘ sections of this webpage. The ownership information will need updating in multiple places.

For information about regulatory matters and applications for ownership change, see: Market entry regulations.

GPhC list your ownership information including your owner name. The NHS also collates information regarding owner name to assist reporting about pharmacy. For example the NHS ODS portal lists the owner name of each pharmacy organisation. Each pharmacy owner will have at least one NHS Parent Organisation Code (POC) associated with them (find out more at the ‘NHS POC’ section of this webpage).

Refer to: pharmacy change of circumstance guide/checklist and the ‘Regulator information‘, ‘Other portals and systems‘ sections of this webpage.

Your phone number may be stored with multi profiles.

You can use NHS Profile Manager to update your phone number carried in NHS data such as your NHS website pharmacy profile.

The NHS ODS eDispensary data also picks up contact telephone number based on NHS data held by NHSBSA. To get this number updated, NHSBSA require confirmation from local NHS England / the authorised signatory (or PCSE if they are processing an application for you such as an ownership change application).

Check / update the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) listing, as appropriate.

Consider checking / updating the Royal Mail listing, if you notice your pharmacy is not listed, or is listed incorrectly.

Having your address correctly listed within the Royal Mail will minimise the risk that you do not receive post which had been intended for you. Many organisations will treat the Royal Mail directory as the authoritative source for UK business addresses and postcodes.

Pharmacy owners will need to ensure that information at the NHS website and Directory of Services (DoS) is up-to-date, including in regards to NHS services being provided. The method for this is:

• Service registration: Some services require MYS or other registration.
• Bricks and mortar pharmacy owners: must use NHS Profile Manager.
• Distance selling pharmacy (DSP) owners updating their website. DSP owners may also update their patient app if they use one.
• DSP owners updating the NHS website profile:  They can contact the NHS website helpdesk to change NHS website profiles: nhs.uk/contact-us/nhs-website-profile-feedback. The NHS website DSP pharmacy profiles currently inlcude links to websites, pharmacy names, and telehone contact details.
• DSPs updating DoS: DSPs can contact DoS leads in the event that changes are required (e.g. provision of Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS)). Local DoS teams help to manage and maintain local DoS information. A list of local contact details is available to users of NHS Service Finder (available for health care staff such as pharmacy teams members and LPC members): List of local DoS team contact info (login required). At present NHS Profile Manager does not enable the email address to be corrected if the wrong one is listed. However, community pharmacy contractors ought to be able to update DoS information without needing to directly contact the local DoS team (see ‘NHS Profile Manager‘ section). In some cases Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) may work with local DoS teams in relation to relevant pharmacy contractor queries about local DoS information.

Pharmacy owners can also check with their service IT provider that they are correctly listed as providing relevant services. And information about services is also within the: Services hub.

See: Updating Smartcards.

For information about regulatory matters and applications for ownership change, see: Market entry regulations.

Refer to: pharmacy change of circumstance guide/checklist and the ‘Regulator information‘, ‘Other portals and systems‘ sections of this webpage.

GPhC list your trading name.

Also consider:

• Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPTK) profile
• MYS profile
• ISP profile
• Website/system lists which pharmacy teams access (pdf) – some of which may include information about your pharmacy profile
• Other online directories e.g. Google Business, and Yellow Pages online (Yell.com).

See:

• DoS
• NHS website
• Pharmacy change of circumstance guide/checklist