Emergency supply of prescription medicines by pharmacists in community pharmacies

​​​​​​​​​​​In circumstances where a patient does not have valid prescription, pharmacists may supply prescription medicines under the conditions listed below.

​Advise patient to obtain a valid prescription

The patient may be able to obtain a valid prescription by one of the following methods:

• Electronic prescription (e-script) issued by their or another prescriber.
• Contact HealthDirect​​ on 1800 022 222 (available 24/7) for telehealth support and referral to a prescriber.

Pharmacists can receive a verbal (via phone), fax, or email direction from a prescriber to dispense any medicine (excluding unregistered Schedule 8 medicines). Text or SMS is not permitted. The prescriber must then:

•  ​​​issue a valid prescription immediately, and
• send it to the pharmacy within 24 hours​

If the pharmacist does not receive the prescription within 7 days they must report it to Pharmaceutical Services, via email at MOH-PharmaceuticalServices@health.nsw.gov.au​.

If a prescription cannot be obtained

Pharmacists may supply a medicine if the patient has previously been prescribed the medicine and it is essential for ongoing treatment, under the following conditions:

• For medicines listed under Schedule 1 of the National Health (Continued Dispensing) Determination 2022​ - supply a single PBS quantity. Please note that in NSW pharmacists cannot supply ​Schedule 8 (S8) medicines under this determination.
• ​For other prescription medicines (excluding Schedule 4 Appendix D (S4D) and S8 medicines), supply:
• up to 7 days of treatment, or
• ​the smallest standard pack (if medicine is in a liquid, inhaler, cream, or ointment).

In certain circumstances, NSW Health may issue legal instruments to permit the supply of prescription medicines without a prescription. Such instruments and the conditions are published at Orders and Exemptions​.​