ABSTRACT
The law governing dispensing in NHS general practice is enshrined in the NHS Regulations 1992. The act of dispensing as such takes place under the Medicines Act 1968. Most, if not all, dispensing practices are computerised. Computing aids dispensing probably more than it does other aspects of general practice. Morton-Jones and Pringle in 1993 suggested that dispensing practices have higher prescribing costs than non-dispensing practices, mainly because of their lower use of generic drugs. The FP10 is a valuable document. It is the patient's passport to medication and the dispensing doctor's invoice for payment. Except in emergency, no medication should be issued without a prescription already signed telling the dispenser what, how and how much to give. A further probable change in prescription charge collection policy will mean that practices will be deemed to have collected prescription charges on all items for which exemption has not been claimed.
