Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland 
A number of Special Order products have now been listed in Part 7S of the Scottish Drug Tariff.
Where a product is listed in Part 7S the contractor will automatically be reimbursed the listed tariff price without further endorsement required. The list price includes a handling allowance to cover out of pocket expenses. No additional reimbursement is available unless, in exceptional cases only, next day dispensing is considered necessary. In such cases the contractor must seek prior authorisation from the Health Board.8
Where a product is not listed in Part 7S and is manufactured under the Section 10 exemption (whether in the pharmacy or by a third party), the contractor should endorse the names, quantities and cost of the ingredients used in preparing the product.
When supplying a product outside of Part 7S that is being sourced from a Specials manufacturer, the contractor must first seek reimbursement authorisation from their Health Board. Prescriptions should be endorsed with:
- A statement that pre-authorisation has been obtained.
- Invoice price including any additional costs incurred less any discount or rebate received.
- Manufacturer's/importer's licence number.
- Batch number of the unlicensed medicine.
For Specials not listed in Part 7S, the contractor must stamp, date, initial and endorse the Certificate of Analysis (CoA)/ Certificate of Conformity (CoC) with the actual price paid and the prescriber's details. The certificate should also be endorsed to show that the item has been pre-authorised, including the name of the authorising officer and the date authorised.
At the end of each month, the contractor must send a copy of the CoA/CoC to the Health Board of the prescriber along with details of the prescriber. Where a CoA/CoC is not available for an imported medicine the invoice should be endorsed and submitted in its place.
Northern Ireland 
As yet there has been no Specials tariff introduced in Northern Ireland. For prescriptions dispensed extemporaneously contractors will be reimbursed for the ingredient costs as detailed in the drug tariff in addition to the dispensing fees specified. Where the pharmacy cannot dispense a prescription extemporaneously or elects to have a product made up as a Special they must provide reasons to the BSO why a Special was considered necessary. The additional costs incurred through supplying a special will only be reimbursed where the BSO (or Pharmaceutical Committee) considers that the use of a special was necessary.
Reimbursement remains based on the price of the product as endorsed by the contractor. The prescription should be endorsed with:
- full name of the product
- name of the supplier
- pack size
- price of product
- any out of pocket expenses
Claims for Out of Pocket Expenses should be included with the monthly submission of prescription forms.
Pharmacy contractors should ensure the 11 digit code found at the bottom of each prescription is written onto the corresponding invoice before submission to the BSO.