2025-09-25 18:44:12
Members will be aware that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) plans to change the law of supervision. DHSC summarises the core changes as:
- enabling pharmacists to authorise registered pharmacy technicians to carry out, or supervise others carrying out, the preparation, assembly, dispensing, and sale and supply of medicines;
- enabling pharmacists to authorise any member of the pharmacy team to hand out checked and bagged prescriptions in the absence of a pharmacist – avoiding repeat visits from patients when a pharmacist is not there; and
- allowing registered pharmacy technicians to take primary responsibility for the preparation, assembly and dispensing of medicinal products in hospital aseptic facilities that do not have a specials manufacturer’s licence.
We have just been informed by DHSC that, with a view to amending the law by the end of 2025, the draft Human Medicines (Authorisation by Pharmacists and Supervision by Pharmacy Technicianss) Order 2025, giving effect to the amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 will be debated by the House of Commons on 13 October 2025 and by the House of Lords on 21 October 2025. Subject to approval by both Houses, the amendments will come into force 28 days after the amendment Order is made.