The following additions of new sections and updates to existing sections have been made to the MEP from November 2024 – September 2026.
NEW SECTIONS
August 2026
- Guidance on resources to use to find out the legal classification of human medicines.
- Guidance on resources to use to find out the legal classification of veterinary medicines.
UPDATED SECTIONS
September 2026
- Added information and signposting to the new RCPharm guidance titled Chief pharmacists, directors of pharmacy and senior pharmacy leaders (September 2026).
August 2026
- Updated the list of GPhC standards and guidance and the list of RCPharm standards and guidance.
- Removed guidance on COVID-19 Yellow Card reporting, as the MHRA advise anyone who suspects they have experienced a side effect linked with their COVID-19 vaccine to report via the Yellow Card website.
- Added signposting to the RCPharm position statement and the pharmacy guide Facilitated self-selection of pharmacy (P) medicines.
- Updated guidance on dispensing a prescription in the Welsh language to include signposting to the Welsh language standards and to consider that the prescription, as well as meeting legal requirements, needs to be clinically appropriate for the patient
- Included information on the submission of cross border prescriptions to processing bodies for payment
- Updated guidance on the use of EPS FP10s under repeatable prescriptions for prisons and other residential custodial secure environments in England. Included signposting to the CPE update on Detained estate EPS prescribing: medicines supply process update providing detailed information on the process for supplying medicines when people leave prison
- Added guidance on pharmacist authorisation – handing out checked and bagged medicine, and included signposting to the detailed RCPharm pharmacy guide.
- Included advice from the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacy Group (NPPG) that doses of oral liquid medicines should be expressed in terms of millilitres only and signposting to the detailed NPPG guidance Labelling of Dispensed Oral Medicines for Children position statement.
- Under emergency supply at the request of a patient, guidance and signposting to detailed information on pharmacists considering the immediate need for time critical medicines
- Under optometrist signed patient orders, included information and signposting to guidance for pharmacists supplying medicines/appliances to patients from an optometrist (WGOS) NHS signed order in Wales
- Under supply of medicines to schools, included information and signposting to the MHRA clarification on administering AAIs in an emergency in exceptional circumstances in schools without parental consent.
- Updated guidance on follow-up consultations and pregnancy testing, as detailed in the MHRA drug safety update on isotretinoin prescribing guidance and the survey of services.
- Added information on VMD guidance for electronic transmission of written prescriptions
- Updated guidance on repeat prescriptions validity and signposting to VMD guidance for further details
- Updated diagram 12 – changed the medicine on the prescription from phenytoin sodium 100mg capsules to levetiracetam 250mg tablets
- Added the requirement to include on veterinary prescriptions the words: “It is an offence under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 for a person to alter a written prescription unless authorised to do so by the person who signed it."
- Table 10 – updated the first and second points to make clearer what applies to animal and human prescriptions.
- Included signposting to SPS resources on identifying and managing pharmaceutical waste.
- Included signposting and guidance from the GPhC article titled: Gender identity: pharmaceutical care for children and young people (January 2023)
- Included reference to the updated NHSE guidance, published in March 2026: Guidance to primary care about unregulated providers who supply hormone medications to children and young people for gender incongruence.
- Updated the introduction to include information on the new supervision legislation, The Human Medicines (Authorisation by Pharmacists and Supervision by Pharmacy Technicians) Order 2025
- Updated to include the RP to authorise competent team members to hand out checked and bagged items in their absence or when they are treated as absent.
- Updated information on services offered by Pharmacist Support to help pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists, trainee pharmacists, MPharm and OSPAP students.
January 2026
- Added information on VMD guidance for electronic transmission of written prescriptions
Added guidance on Responsible Pharmacists authorising competent staff to hand out checked and bagged items in their absence or when they are treated as absent.
Added information and signposting to the MHRA clarification on administering AAIs in an emergency in exceptional circumstances in schools without parental consent
December 2025
Added information and signposting to guidance on pharmacists authorising any competent member of the pharmacy team to make the final sale or supply of a ‘checked and bagged medicine’ from 7 January 2026.
November 2025
Updated guidance on follow up consultations and pregnancy testing as detailed in the MHRA drug safety update on isotretinoin prescribing guidance and survey of services
October 2025
Included advice from the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group (NPPG) that doses of oral liquid medicines should be expressed in terms of millilitres only and signposting to the NPPG guidance Labelling of Dispensed Oral Medicines for Children position statement
September 2025
Added the requirement to include on a veterinary prescriptions the words "It is an offence under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 for a person to alter a written prescription unless authorised to do so by the person who signed it."
July 2025
Information in this section was updated by Pharmacist Support on new services they offer to support and help pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists, trainee pharmacists, MPharm and OSPAP students.
- Added Home Office guidance on what is meant by making the CD rendered irretrievable before disposal and the methods used
- Added clarification on what is meant by a pharmaceutical waste bin.
Included Home Office clarification on the 28-day appropriate date validity.
- Updated information on prescription requirements for POM-V, POM-VPS and medicines supplied under the veterinary cascade, labelling of dispensed veterinary medicines and record keeping in line with changes in the Veterinary Medicines (Amendments etc.) Regulations 2024
- Updated guidance on repeat prescriptions.
Added signposting and information on the RPS report Medicines Shortages: Solutions for empty shelves.
Updated information and resources.
Emergency supply at the request of a patient: included guidance to help pharmacists ensure duplicate supplies are not made
- Included examples of the particulars that can be on a prescription to indicate the type of appropriate prescriber
- Updated guidance on dispensing a prescription in Welsh and signposted to the updated RPS Welsh language pharmacy guide
Updated the list of RPS guidance on reclassified medicines.
Updated to include information and signposting to RPS' position statement and pharmacy guide on facilitated self selection of P medicines and GPhC's FAQs on self-selection and open display of Pharmacy medicines. (Please note: Edition 48 MEP does not contain signposting to RPS' position statement and pharmacy guide on facilitated self selection of P medicines as these were published after printing of the book).
Updated the reference to veterinary regulations to the Veterinary Medicines (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2024.
Added information on and signposting to the RPS Greener Pharmacy Toolkit.
Added information on and signposting to the RPS RCGP Repeat Prescribing Toolkit.
Added information on RPS’ position on structured and supported verification of medicines by pharmacy technicians in specialised settings and signposted to the BOPA Standards for the Pharmacy Verification of Prescriptions for Cancer Medicines.
Removed information and diagram on the NHS Just Culture guide and replaced with information and signposting to the new NHS Being fair tool: Supporting staff following a patient safety incident.
Added guidance and signposting to resources on remote prescribing.
Included information and signposting to the GPhC and PDA jointly produced article Using social media platforms professionally.
We have added GPhC's Guidance for registered pharmacies providing pharmacy services at a distance, including on the internet to the appendices as appendix 10.
Updated to include signposting to the new GPhC standards on Chief Pharmacists
Included guidance on new legislation for original pack dispensing which came into force on 1 January 2025 allowing NHS community pharmacists to dispense up to 10% more or less than the quantity prescribed of eligible medicines on NHS prescriptions.
Updated with the change in legislation from 2nd December 2024 to allow more organisations and registered healthcare professionals to to supply naloxone for future use (‘take home’ naloxone) to those who need it, without a prescription.
Updated section to include details of the PPP status categories for isotretinoin and how this determines the treatment duration and monitoring requirements. Signposting to useful MHRA guidance such as the prescriber and pharmacist checklists and manufacturers SPCs Included signposting to the MHRA pregnancy prevention programme for topiramate (Topamax).
REMOVED SECTIONS
AUGUST 2026
CHAPTER 5
ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY CODE OF CONDUCT