Amendments to the Medicines Act 1968 and the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 mark an important step in modernising pharmacy practice and improving patient access to medicines. In Northern Ireland, these changes will enable trained pharmacy team members to hand out prescriptions that have already been clinically checked and bagged, even when the pharmacist is temporarily absent and will come into operation on 7 January 2026. This aligns legislation with existing practices such as home delivery and automated collection services, supporting safe and timely access for patients. The legislation is available online at The Human Medicines (Authorisation by Pharmacists and Supervision by Pharmacy Technicians) Order 2025.
Other provisions in the legislation relating to pharmacy technicians will not apply in Northern Ireland until pharmacy technicians become a regulated profession. For now, only the provision allowing trained team members to supply pre-checked and bagged prescriptions under pharmacist authorisation will take effect.
Canice Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmaceutical Society NI said:
“This legislative change is an important step in supporting safe and timely access to medicines for patients in Northern Ireland. By enabling trained team members to supply prescriptions that have already been checked and bagged, pharmacists can spend more time delivering clinical care and patient-facing services. We will work closely with the Pharmacy Forum NI to provide guidance and practical support to ensure this change is implemented safely and effectively”.
Sheelin McKeagney, Chair of the Pharmacy Forum NI Management Board said:
“The Pharmacy Forum welcomes these changes to legislation, which will enable our pharmacist colleagues to focus more fully on direct patient care. The Pharmacy Forum will shortly issue guidance to support registrants in implementing this change. We encourage all pharmacists to familiarise themselves with the new requirements and take part in the upcoming engagement sessions”.