Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Cross-Border Healthcare) Regulations 2013 (“the 2013 Regulations”) to implement in England and Wales, Article 4 of Commission Implementing Directive 2012/52/EU, laying down measures to facilitate the recognition of medical prescriptions issued in another member State. The 2013 Regulations themselves implement in England and Wales provisions of Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare.

Regulation 2 amends the 2013 Regulations so as to introduce a duty on the national contact point (which in England is the National Health Service Commissioning Board and in Wales is the Welsh Ambulance Services National Health Service Trust) to ensure that information is made available to patients on the elements required to be included in prescriptions which are issued in one member State and intended to be used in another member State. The elements which must be included are specified in the Schedule which is inserted into the 2013 Regulations.

An impact assessment has not been prepared for these Regulations as no, or no significant, impact on the private, public or voluntary sectors is foreseen.