Pharmacies - Information and Links
This section provides information on pharmacy services in Wales, including guidance on how to access pharmacy services, entitlement criteria for obtaining free prescriptions and details of current prescription charges.
Many pharmacies now provide a range of services which can be accessed throughout the week, such as emergency contraception or needle exchange facilities.
In addition to those provided by high street pharmacies, pharmacy services are also accessible from a range of superstores, frequently operating outside the usual high street opening hours.
For further information on local pharmacy opening times please go to the Pharmacy Search facility.
Pharmacies Links
The Royal Pharmacuetical Society
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is the professional body for pharmacists. Its aim is to develop the pharmacy profession and ensure that the services pharmacists offer are the best for patients and the public.
Looking ahead and anticipating how things will be in the year 2020, the Society is preparing pharmacists so they can provide more services to patients and the public than ever before. To achieve this, they would like to find out what patients, carers, members of the public, patient representative organisation and other stakeholders, think about the pharmacy profession and to hear their views on what they can do to make the pharmacy better in the future. For more information visit the 2020 consultation and questionnaire.
Health Solutions Wales (HSW)
HSW undertakes a range of specialist services for the NHS in Wales, including the processesing of details of all community-dispensed prescriptons in Wales. HSW feeds the resulting data back to the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership in order that pharmacists can be reimbursed for the drugs which they dispense.
NHS Prescription Services
NHS Prescription Services manage a range of services within the NHS in England, similar to those undertaken by the HSW and the Business Services Centres in Wales. It also produces the Drug Tariff used by both the Welsh Government and the Department of Health.
See also under individual Health Boards for information on how pharmacy services are organised on a local basis.