Disallowed items issued by dentists and nurse prescribers
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has informed Community Pharmacy England that a high percentage of disallowed items dispensed by community pharmacies were from prescriptions issued by NHS dentists and Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribers for:
- drugs NOT listed in the Dental Practitioners’ Formulary (DPF) in Drug Tariff Part XVIIA from which a NHS dentist may order on a FP10D prescription form; and
- drugs, appliances or chemical reagents NOT listed in the Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary (NPF) in Drug Tariff Part XVIIB(i) from which a Community Practitioner Nurse Prescriber may order on an FP10 prescription form
In the 12 months between July 2025 and June 2026, there were approximately 32,000 disallowed prescription items in total. Of these, 22% (around 7,000 items) were disallowed because the items ordered were not permitted to be prescribed by the dentist or community nurse prescriber who issued the NHS prescription.
Before dispensing an NHS prescription issued by a NHS dentist or Community Practitioner Nurse Prescriber, pharmacy teams should check that the items ordered are listed in their respective formularies and that the prescriber holds the appropriate qualifications to prescribe the items(s). Not all healthcare professionals have the same prescribing rights. Our Who can prescribe what? page has further information on products different types of prescribers are allowed to prescribe on NHS prescription forms.
If you receive a prescription from a nurse that does not hold the appropriate prescribing qualifications to order certain items on NHS prescription forms, pharmacy teams should not dispense the items and the patient should be referred back to the appropriate prescriber.
| Prescriber type | Prescribing rights | What pharmacy teams need to check |
| Community Practitioner Nurse Prescriber | Can only prescribe products included in the Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary for Community Practitioners listed in Part XVIIB(i) of the Drug Tariff | Check that the prescribed item is included in Part XVIIB(i) and that any restrictions relating to the item are met. For example, paracetamol tablets can only be prescribed in quantities up to 100 |
| Nurse Independent Prescriber | Can prescribe any medicine for any medical condition within their clinical competence. They are not restricted to the products listed in the Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary (NPF) for Community Practitioners |
Check the type of nurse prescriber by searching the Nurse Medical Council register to confirm if a nurse holds the appropriate additional prescribing qualifications |
| Nurse Supplementary Prescriber | Can prescribe any medicine as agreed by the patient and the doctor as part of a patient’s clinical management plan | |
| Dentist issuing an FP10D prescription | Can only prescribe products included in the Dental Prescribing Formulary (Part XVIIA of the Drug Tariff) on an FP10D prescription | Check that the specific item/formulation prescribed is included in the Dental Practitioners’ Formulary (DPF). For example, amoxicillin capsules are included in the DPF but amoxicillin tablets are not |
It has been several years since the DPF and NPF were developed. Many listed products are no longer available and should be deleted from their respective formularies. Community Pharmacy England has requested the Department of Health and Social Care to review and update the products listed in both formularies to reflect the latest prescribing guidelines and product availability.
Community Pharmacy England is encouraging pharmacy owners to check their disallowed items history on the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal to identify any unpaid items and check the reasons why these were disallowed by the NHSBSA. If an item is believed to have been incorrectly disallowed, pharmacy owners should submit a challenge to the NHSBSA, who will investigate the issue and rectify any missing payments if a pricing error is identified. Click here for more information on how to check and challenge disallowed items on MYS.
Further information
Referred back and disallowed items
