Some 22% of disallowed prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacies between July 2025 and June 2026 were issued by nurse prescribers and dentists who were “not permitted” to prescribe them, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has revealed.
CPE said on September 18 that the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) had informed it that there were a total of 32,000 disallowed prescription items over the 12-month period.
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Of the “around 7,000” disallowed prescriptions issued by community practitioner nurse prescribers and dentists, many were for items not listed in the Dental Practitioners’ Formulary nor the Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary, it added.
CPE said that “it has been several years since the Dental Practitioners’ Formulary and the Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary were developed” and that “many listed products are no longer available and should be deleted from their respective formularies”.
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It added that prior to dispensing a prescription issued by an NHS dentist or community practitioner nurse prescriber, pharmacy teams “should check that the items ordered are listed in their respective formularies and that the prescriber holds the appropriate qualifications to prescribe the item”.
The negotiator has also requested that the Department of Health and Social Care “review and update the products listed in both formularies to reflect the latest prescribing guidelines and product availability”.
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And it is urging pharmacy owners to check items that have previously been disallowed and submit any challenges to the NHSBSA.
It comes after an intervention by CPE on the price of Novo Nordisk’s 1.5mg, 4.mg and 9mg semaglutide tablets Rybelsus has prevented community pharmacy owners from losing an estimated £2.6m.
And it follows the negotiator announcing in July that £1.55m worth of unpaid or referred-back items are awaiting action by pharmacy owners on the Manage Your Service portal.
