Community pharmacy team members are encouraged to check the expiry date of their NHS Smartcards and if the expiry date is approaching, ensure they renew it in advance of the expiry date.

If not renewed, Smartcards expire after two years for information governance reasons. When the renewal date for a smartcard approaches, the member of the pharmacy team will be prompted to renew every time they login. We strongly encourage community pharmacy team members to check their Smartcards are working regularly and renew them well in advance of their expiry date. Doing so early will mean there is more time to resolve any technical or other issues that may occur during the renewal process. You can renew your card via the Care Identity Service (CIS) online Smartcard software portal.

A large number of Smartcards are due to pass their expiry date in June 2022; 140,000 Smartcards are due for renewal on 27th June 2022. If a Smartcard passes its expiry date without renewal, additional steps will be needed to get the Smartcard working again, therefore, we advise that you renew any Smartcards before their expiry date.

Read more about Smartcards