How to apply for a Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement for the Provision of Pharmacy Services under the Health Acts.
If opening a new pharmacy, buying / selling a pharmacy, or transferring shares in a pharmacy, please contact your local HSE Pharmacist for advice on applying for a new Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement (CPCA). Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement: Pharmacists in the area.doc (size 43 KB)
It will take a minimum of 21 days for the HSE to complete an application for a new CPCA and the HSE cannot finalise a new CPCA until the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland has registered the new ownership and issued a new Retail Pharmacy Business (RPB) number. The time taken is largely dependent on how quickly the applicant submits the correct documents. No payment will be made under the General Medical Services or Community Drug Schemes until after the CPCA is issued and payments will not be backdated.
There are three stages to the process for the awarding of a new Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement.
Stage 1 Documents issued by HSE Pharmacist to the applicant:
- Application Form for Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement (CPCA – see related files)
- Explanatory notes to assist with the completion of the application form
- A copy of the CPCA Terms and Conditions for information purposes
- An inspection checklist, which will provide a broad outline of what is involved in a HSE CPCA inspection
The application form should be returned to your local HSE Pharmacist with other Stage 1 documents to include notice of termination from previous contractor (if taking over an established pharmacy and other financial and professional documents.)
If at any stage during the contract application process, information provided as part of the process changes e.g. change of directors or shareholders, then this will nullify the information provided and require the contract application process to begin again with the new information.
Stage 2 Completion of Statutory Declaration and various assurances to the HSE
The Statutory Declaration must be signed by a majority of directors in the company in the case of a corporate body. These signatures must be witnessed by a solicitor or other person legally entitled to witness Statutory Declarations. An accompanying document will be provided to assist with the completion of this document. This stage is very important to complete with due diligence as the HSE will exercise their own due diligence and will not proceed to completion of a CPCA where a concern arises.
From 1st July 2020, there is a requirement that the computer software used by the applicant complies with specific standards of claim transparency.
Stage 3 Inspection of Premises; Witnessing of documents and finalisation of the Contractor Documentation.
