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The Electronic Prescription Service will allow prescriptions to be sent electronically from the GP surgery to the pharmacy and then on to NHS Prescription Services for payment.
The Service is recognised as a key pillar of the National Programme for IT.
National Roll Out Model
The national roll out model is made up of a relay (or holding station) which is linked to the NHS Care Records Service. Pharmacies are able to ‘pull down’ electronic prescription messages from the relay on receipt of a bar-coded prescription token.
Release 2 of the Service will also allow patients the option of ‘nominating’ a pharmacy to receive their prescriptions electronically. In this scenario a pharmacy will be able to pull down messages from the relay in advance of the patient reaching the pharmacy.
Click on the link below to view the Connecting for Health high level EPS Implementation Plan:
EPS Implementation Plan (PDF Format)
The plan provides guidance on the 2 EPS System Releases and 4 phases of implementation.
EPS Release 1
In early March 2005, the NHS Connecting for Health ETP Team announced that they had started rolling out the Electronic Prescriptions Service through a limited number of initial implementer sites across England. Over 90% of pharmacies are now EPS Release 1 enabled. Click on the link below for detailed information on Release 1:
EPS Release 2
The roll out of Release 2 of the service will signal the start of Phase 3 of implementation. Release 2 will support the use of advanced electronic signatures, e-repeat dispensing, patient nomination of their selected pharmacy, the cancellation of e-prescriptions, and the submission of prescriptions electronically to NHS Prescription Services. Initial Implementation began in late 2009. Click on the link below for more information:
Sign up for EPS System Alerts by Email or Text Message
It is now possible to register to receive text or email alerts when there are incidents affecting the NHS CFH systems that support EPS. This includes EPS itself, the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) and the Spine. Simply download and complete the Word file on the Connecting for Health website and NHS CFH will send an alert when the national system is unavailable and again when normal service is resumed.
Note if a pharmacy experiences problems connecting to the EPS Service, this could be due to reasons other than a problem with the national systems. For example a broadband connectivity issue or a problem with a system supplier’s central message handler. It is important to report problems to pharmacy system supplier helpdesks, ensuring the call reference number is recorded. If difficulties are experienced in getting the supplier to resolve the problem, report this along with the call reference number to your PCT EPS Lead.
EPS & The Pharmacy Contract
The Electronic Prescriptions Service will form a key part of the New Contract Essential Services. Click on the link below for more information on the New Contract IT/EPS Allowances:
New Contract Funding: EPS Allowances
The Department of Health have stated that at an appropriate point in the future, it is likely that the Terms of Service will be changed to mandate all community pharmacies to operate the Electronic Prescription Service.
More Information
EPS Section of NHS Connecting for Health Website
New Contract Funding: ETP Allowances
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