The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7446 p389
7 April 2007

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Age exemption checks no longer required if proof is in place

Pharmacists in Scotland are no longer required to check proof of exemption from NHS prescription charges on age grounds, provided the patient's date of birth is recorded on the patient medication record or is specified on a computer-generated prescription (electronic or paper). Checks must still be carried out for handwritten prescriptions.

This is one of a number of changes to the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations which came into force on 1 April. The amendments state that patients who are exempt from charges because of their age are still required to sign the declaration on the back of the prescription to confirm that the prescription has been dispensed.

The amendments also enable the new ePharmacy service by allowing prescription data to be transferred electronically between GP practices and community pharmacies via a central messaging store.

A further amendment means that pharmacists can refuse to dispense a prescription for a person who commits or threatens to commit a violent or criminal act at the pharmacy.