Real Time Exemption Checking (RTEC) lets a pharmacy team digitally check to see if a patient is eligible for free prescriptions (because they hold specific exemptions, for example based on age, income, pregnancy or maternity within the previous 12 months).
The system will not provide the reason for the exemption, rather it will return an “unknown” or “exempt” status.
Given the negative impact of some medications on pregnancy outcomes, the Patient Safety Group has produced a resource for pharmacy teams to support clinical decision making in such cases.
The resource reminds pharmacy teams to encourage patients to notify healthcare professionals if they are pregnant or breast feeding and includes a patient facing poster to promote this amongst patients.
Pharmacy teams are reminded that women who miscarry or have a stillborn child are eligible for free NHS prescriptions until their maternity exemption certificate expires. Pharmacy teams should use expert clinical judgement and compassion when having difficult conversations
Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group 