LegalizeThe Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs Etc) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026
Made: 1st April 2026
Coming into operation: 1st May 2026
The Department of Health[^f00001], in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 57D and 106(b) of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972[^f00002], makes the following Regulations.
Citation, commencement and interpretation
1
These Regulations may be cited as the Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs Etc) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 and shall come into operation on 1st May 2026.
Amendment of the Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs Etc) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004
2
- (1) Schedule 2 (drugs, medicines and other substances to be ordered only in certain circumstances) to the Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs Etc) Regulations 2004[^f00003] is amended as follows.
- (a) in column 2 of the table (patient), in the entry relating to “Oseltamivir (Tamiflu)” omit sub-paragraph (a) in paragraphs (1) and (3) and in the entry relating to “Zanamivir (Relenza)” omit sub-paragraph (a) in column (1).
Signed
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health on 1st April 2026.
Cathy Harrison — A senior officer of the Department of Health
Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
EXPLANATORY NOTE
These Regulations amend the Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs Etc) Regulations 2004 (“the 2004 Regulations”). The 2004 Regulations make provisions as to the drugs, medicines and other substances that may be ordered for patients in the provision of medical services under a general medical services contract within the meaning of Article 57 of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972.
Regulation 2 makes amendments to the table in Schedule 2 to the 2004 Regulations (Drugs, Medicines and Other Substances to be Ordered in Certain Circumstances), to remove the notification requirement specified in column 1 in relation to the circumstances under which influenza antiviral treatments Oseltamivir and Zanamivir can be ordered, which has the effect of allowing year-round prescribing of these treatments if the other conditions in column 2 of that table are met.
Footnotes
[^f00001]: See Section 1(5) of the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016
[^f00002]: S.I. 1972/1265 (N.I. 14); Article 57D was inserted by Article 4 of S.I. 2004/311 (N.I. 2)
[^f00003]: S.R. 2004 No. 142; amended by S.R. 2009 No. 394, S.R. 2010 No. 375, S.R. 2011 No. 327 and S.R. 2014 No. 215
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