NHS England chief pharmaceutical officer David Webb has welcomed the approval of updated pharmacy supervision legislation by the Parliament and Privy Council.
In a LinkedIn post, Webb said this will cut red tape and ensure effective use of the clinical skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in NHS pharmacy teams.
From 7 January, pharmacists will be able to authorise any competent member of pharmacy staff to hand out checked and bagged prescriptions when they are taking a break.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has provided guidance to support this change.
The guidance states that authorisation is optional; pharmacists are not under any legal obligation to carry out authorisations and may use their professional judgement to decide whether to authorise others.
Nothing in the order prevents intervention by another pharmacist if needed or if risks arise.
If pharmacists do decide to authorise a pharmacy technician to carry out or supervise tasks relating to the preparation, assembly, dispensing, sale and supply of medicines, the pharmacist and the person receiving the authorisation will both carry responsibility for the tasks performed under an authorisation.
The General Pharmaceutical Council will develop and introduce new regulatory standards for superintendent pharmacists and responsible pharmacists, and Rules for Responsible Pharmacists, which will support the implementation of the new legislation.
The remaining changes will take effect later once supporting regulatory rules, standards and professional guidance have been developed. These will be in place by 10 December 2026.
