Palliative and End of Life Medicines Action Plan
PQS : Palliative care questionnaire
Pharmacy owners are now able to complete the Palliative and End of Life Care (PEoLC) questionnaire, which is a gateway requirement for the 2026/27 Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS).
The questionnaire can be accessed via the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) MYS portal and must be submitted by 11.59pm on 31st December 2026.
Once the questionnaire has been completed and the survey data submitted, pharmacy owners will receive a confirmation email as evidence that their submission has been successful. This email must be provided if a pharmacy owner needs to demonstrate that they have successfully submitted their questionnaire, therefore it is important to retain this email.
Since this is one of three gateway requirements, failure to complete and submit the questionnaire by 11.59pm on 31st December 2026, will mean that pharmacy owners will not be eligible for a PQS payment, even if they have completed all the work for the two PQS domains.
Other gateway requirements
There are three gateway requirements which must be met to qualify for the 2026/27 PQS. Further details on the other two requirements can be found below.
Pharmacy palliative care medication stockholder
As soon as possible after 2nd June 2026 and by the end of 31st March 2027, the pharmacy owner must have updated NHS Profile Manager to show they are a ‘Pharmacy palliative care medication stockholder’ if they routinely hold the 16 palliative and end of life critical medicines listed in the Drug Tariff and can support local access to parenteral haloperidol.
If pharmacy owners are a stockholder, they are encouraged to update or verify that they information in NHS Profile Manager is correct as soon as possible.
PEoLC action plan
By the end of 31st March 2027, pharmacy owners must have an action plan in place to use when they do not have the required stock of the 16 palliative and end of life critical medicines and/or parenteral haloperidol available for a patient. This must include collated information from pharmacies in their area to be able to aid a patient, relative/carer in obtaining medication as swiftly as possible by redirecting them to the nearest open community pharmacy that stocks the 16 palliative and end of life critical medicines and/or parenteral haloperidol.
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Do you need to complete the PQS Action Plan for Palliative and End of Life Medicines (2025/26)?
By 31st March 2026, all pharmacy owners must have a documented action plan in place to support patients when the 16 critical palliative and end of life medicines and/or parenteral haloperidol are unavailable at their pharmacy. This requirement applies regardless of whether your pharmacy routinely stocks these medicines, and is essential to qualify for payment under the Medicines Safety & Optimisation domain.
What the Action Plan Must Include:
• Awareness of any locally commissioned palliative care services, including on-call and delivery arrangements.
• A list of community pharmacies in your area that stock the 16 critical medicines, and the ability to check the Directory of Services (DoS) to locate pharmacies with stock.
• Information on where parenteral haloperidol can be accessed locally, including any commissioned services.
• Awareness of additional support services for patients, relatives, and carers.
Useful Resources to Support Your Action Plan:
• South & West Devon Palliative Care Guidance, details local services, contact details and resources
• North & East Devon Palliative Care Guidance, local services, contact details and resources
