Home Myth Busters
Myth: Repeat Prescriptions will take 48 hours to process through the Spine
Fact: All messages sent via the EPS service are classified as ‘immediate’ or ‘routine’. These classifications are used to prioritise certain prescription flows and don’t relate to the clinical importance of the prescription. On issuing the prescription, the prescriber has the flexibility to classify the prescription.
Prescription messages will normally be classed as immediate so will be available for download from the Spine shortly after the prescriber has sent the prescription.
Where patients have nominated a pharmacy, the pharmacy system will be able to periodically ‘pull down’ the message to the local pharmacy system. To minimise network traffic, this will normally be done once daily, over night or first thing in the morning as part of the system start-up process. However, pharmacy staff will also be able to initiate a system check for any nominated prescriptions waiting to be pulled down, on an ad hoc basis where necessary. For example, a pharmacy may wish to check for any nominated prescriptions before placing an order with a supplier to ensure that any necessary stock is obtained in time for the patient visiting the pharmacy.
Where patients are currently served by repeat prescription collection services, pharmacies will advise the patient on the timescales from receipt of request to availability of the prescription for the patient. Pharmacies will need to consider with local prescribers whether any changes will be required to these timescales for Release 2. For example, taking into consideration timescale for the prescriber to review the request and send the prescription.
EPS Myth Buster Myth: The EPS Spine is frequently off-line
Fact: It is possible to view historical service information for the EPS national infrastructure online on the Connecting for Health website.
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.
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.
Myth: A single item on an electronic prescription can’t be cancelled; the whole prescription must be cancelled.
Fact: Individual items on an electronic prescription can be cancelled without invalidating the whole prescription. It is also possible to cancel the whole electronic prescription if there is a need.
Myth: An electronic prescription that has already been pulled down to a local dispensing site can be cancelled.
Fact: An electronic prescription can only be cancelled where it has not been pulled down to a local dispensing system. If an electronic prescription has already been pulled down by a dispensing site, prescribers should use local arrangements to request that the prescription is not dispensed, for example, telephoning the dispensing site. The prescribing system will provide information to the prescriber on which dispensing site has pulled down the prescription, together with the site’s contact details.
Myth: Electronic prescriptions can be amended.
Fact: Once an electronic prescription has been sent to the Electronic Prescription Service it cannot be amended. If an amendment is required, the original electronic prescription or individual item must be cancelled, a new prescription generated (with a new prescription ID) and the patient informed.
Myth: An electronic endorsement message can be amended or cancelled once it has been sent to the reimbursement agency.
Fact: As with the paper based process, once a reimbursement endorsement submission has been sent to the reimbursement agency it cannot be amended or cancelled. If a problem is identified, dispensing contractors should, as now, contact the reimbursement agency as soon as possible to report the problem.
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