1. Changes To MEP

The following additions of new sections and updates to existing sections have been made to the MEP from November 2024 – July 2026.
NEW SECTIONS
July 2025
3.7.18 PROVISION OF PHARMACY SERVICES AT A DISTANCE, INCLUDING THE INTERNET

Signposting and information on the GPhC guidance for registered pharmacies providing pharmacy services at a distance, including the internet.

July 2025
3.7.17 GENDER INCONGRUENCE AND DYSPHORIA
  • Added guidance to help support pharmacists in deciding if a supply of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues for treatment of gender incongruence or gender dysphoria in children and young people is appropriate or not
  • Added signposting to helpful and comprehensive guidance published by other organisations.
UPDATED SECTIONS
December 2025
3.3.1 GENERAL PRESCRIPTION REQUIREMENTS

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
3.3.11 PREGNANCY PREVENTION PROGRAMMES

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
3.3.7 Labelling of dispensed medicinal products

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
3.5.1 PRESCRIPTION REQUIREMENTS FOR POM-V,POM-VPS AND MEDICINES SUPPLIED UNDER THE VETERINARY CASCADE

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
CHAPTER 6 PHARMACIST SUPPORT

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.

July 2025
3.6.10 DESTRUCTION OF CONTROLLED DRUGS
  • 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.
July 2025
3.6.7 PRESCRIPTION REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHEDULE 2 AND 3 CONTROLLED DRUGS

Included Home Office clarification on the 28-day appropriate date validity.

July 2025
3.5 VETERINARY MEDICINES
  • 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.
July 2025
3.4.5 WHOLESALING AND MEDICINE SHORTAGES

Added signposting and information on the RPS report Medicines Shortages: Solutions for empty shelves.

July 2025
3.3.12 BIOSIMILAR MEDICINES

Updated information and resources.

July 2025
3.3.10 EXEMPTIONS: SALE AND SUPPLY WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION

Emergency supply at the request of a patient: included guidance to help pharmacists ensure duplicate supplies are not made

July 2025
3.3.1 GENERAL PRESCRIPTION REQUIREMENTS
  • 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
July 2025
3.1.4 RECLASSIFIED MEDICINES

Updated the list of RPS guidance on reclassified medicines.

July 2025
3.1.2 PHARMACY (P) 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).

July 2025
3 UNDERPINNING KNOWLEDGE – LEGISLATION AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

Updated the reference to veterinary regulations to the Veterinary Medicines (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2024.

July 2025
2.6 SUSTAINABILITY

Added information on and signposting to the RPS Greener Pharmacy Toolkit.

July 2025
2.5.6 MEDICATION REVIEW

Added information on and signposting to the RPS RCGP Repeat Prescribing Toolkit.

July 2025
2.5.5 CLINICAL CHECK

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.

July 2025
2.4.2 CULTURE AND PATIENT SAFETY INCIDENTS

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.

July 2025
2.2.3 PHARMACIST PRESCRIBING

Added guidance and signposting to resources on remote prescribing.

July 2025
2.1.6 INTERFACE BETWEEN PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES

Included information and signposting to the GPhC and PDA jointly produced article Using social media platforms professionally.

February 2025
7. APPENDICES

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.

January 2025
CHAPTER 4 RESPONSIBLE PHARMACIST

Updated to include signposting to the new GPhC standards on Chief Pharmacists

January 2025
3.3.1 GENERAL PRESCRIPTION REQUIREMENTS

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.

December 2024
3.3.10 EXEMPTIONS: SALE AND SUPPLY WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION

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.

November 2024
3.3.11 PREGNANCY PREVENTION PROGRAMMES

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
July 2025
2.3 RESEARCH

Guidance on pharmacists in research and research ethics has been removed from the MEP. Comprehensive information on this can be viewed on the RPS website www.rpharms.com.