Home Contingency Arrangements
All systems that are used to access the Electronic Prescription Service must first pass through a rigorous testing process that is monitored by NHS Connecting for Health. During this period of testing, systems must demonstrate that they meet the clinical safety and interoperability standards set. A system can only be rolled-out to users once it has successfully passed this testing process.
As there is a risk that technical failures will be encountered when using the Electronic Prescription Service, it is essential that pharmacy staff are aware of processes that should be followed in the event of system failure.
Local helpdesks (for example a system supplier or Head Office IT Department helpdesk) will provide first level issue diagnosis, resolution and support, and will be able to establish whether the incident is:
-
A Local issue (local network failure, prescribing or dispensing system failure)
-
A national issue (Electronic Prescription Service failure, national network failure)
Local helpdesks should also be able to identify which component of the Electronic Prescription Service is affected by the technical failure. These components include:
-
Local GP clinical system
-
Local dispensing system
-
Smartcard
-
Prescription token printer
-
Dispensing token printer
-
Network connectivity
-
National system
Local helpdesks will be responsible for any escalation process to NHS CFH in resolving issues, where necessary.
Problems with smartcards, for example locked or broken cards, should be reported to the local Registration Authority. The contact details for the relevant local Registration Authority can be obtained from the PCT or LPC.
Pharmacists will be required to use their professional judgement in deciding which action to take, taking into consideration what part of the system has failed and the estimated time to resolve the problem. Options include:
-
Contacting the GP to obtain a paper FP10 prescription
-
Using the emergency supply arrangements
-
Advise the patient to return to the pharmacy at an alternative time
-
Advise the patient to use an alternative dispensing site
-
For actions such as updating a patient’s nomination settings or sending a dispensed message, this information could be recorded at a later time
-
Where the patient has a signed barcoded FP10, existing procedures could be used to dispense the prescription
PSNC believes strongly that as a contingency for the Electronic Prescription Service and to protect patient safety, access and care, improved NHS emergency supply arrangements should be introduced that allow pharmacists, in the event of system failure, to exercise their professional judgement in supplying patients with their medicines at NHS expense in a timely way. This is currently being given consideration by the Department of Health.
PSNC remains concerned that the existing guidance on business continuity is inadequate. Work is ongoing, as a priority, to evaluate areas of risk to continuity of service and identify whether there are further reasonable steps that could be taken to mitigate risks. Guidance for contractors is in development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to backup the records on my pharmacy system every day?
As part of the compliance testing process, system suppliers must demonstrate that their system has effective backup and disaster recovery procedures in place. It is important that pharmacists follow any instructions from their system supplier on backing up information.
DOWNLOADS: Some documents are available in PDF format, you will require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later for viewing which can be downloaded from the Adobe Website
DOWNLOADS: Some documents are available in ‘Microsoft Word’ format. If you do not have Microsoft Word, you can read these forms by downloading the free 'Word Viewer'. This program can be downloaded at the Microsoft website