Shortage Reporter Update - Issues Now Resolved
Published: 21st May 2026
Over the last number of weeks, we have had some technical issues with our Shortage Reporter which resulted in people not being able to report items over drug tariff price using the form on our website. I am pleased to finally report that the issues have been resolved, and the reporter is working as intended.
We use the Shortage Reporter to gather evidence from contractors about problems experienced in obtaining medicines. This includes generic items in the Scottish drug tariff part 7, non-part 7 items and branded medicines. The feedback you give us is sent on a weekly basis to the relevant department at the Scottish Government regarding availability and price information, on lines where price can be an issue.
Recently some pharmacy teams have been experiencing some issue reporting through our form. The form would not allow people to move beyond the pricing questions depending on your answers. This has now been fixed, and we have tested this to ensure that it is working correctly.
To ensure that it is working correctly for you I would recommend that firstly clear your cache and then fill out the form. If you are not sure how to clear your cache, please click the links below for your preferred or default browser and follow the instructions:
If you continue to encounter issues when using the Shortage Reporter, please do not hesitate to contact us at the webteam@cps.scot. Alternatively, if you would like to speak to someone about the price of medicines please email enquiries@cps.scot.
On a different but not unrelated note, we are looking at changing the name of the Shortage Reporter as we believe this no longer accurately describes what it is used for and we are looking for your help to do this. Below sits a short five question survey that would take no more than 5 minutes to complete. If you would like to participate and really help us improve our reporting tool to the benefit of all pharmacy teams we would be grateful.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Some users were unable to move beyond pricing questions when submitting forms.
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Yes. The issue has been resolved and the tool is working as intended.
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It is used to gather evidence from contractors about problems obtaining medicines, including pricing and availability.
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Feedback is shared weekly with the Scottish Government to highlight issues with medicine availability and pricing.
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Clear your browser cache and try again. If problems continue, contact webteam@cps.scot.
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CPS is considering changing the name of the tool and is inviting feedback through a short survey.
Today, I represented Community Pharmacy Scotland on BBC Scotland television and BBC Radio Scotland, discussing the availability of private flu vaccinations in community pharmacy and how people can prepare for winter