Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee

Supporting Deployment of EPS Release 2

This section of the site details the key actions that PCTs and LPCs need to take to support local deployment of EPS Release 2.

Actions PCTs need to take to Prepare for Deployment

In order to support the NHS to progress locally, and work within the national framework, NHS CFH have divided the EPS “path to live” into a number of logical stages to provide transparency of the progression of EPS enablement nationwide.

Stage 1: The Foundation Stage During this stage, the PCT needs to put in place a range of policies, procedures and other supporting documents. Specific actions include appointing a named PCT EPS lead and providing contractors with their contact details, putting in place a Governance structure and ensuring involvement of local stakeholders including the LPC, putting in place an EPS Release 2 smartcard distribution and transition policy, a local PCT nomination policy, a process to distribute dispensing token stationary, a local business continuity plan and a local stakeholder and communications strategy. PCTs also need to develop a PCT wide deployment plan but this will be developed iteratively as more information becomes available on readiness of systems.

Stage 2: Preparing for EPS Enablement (Obtaining Secretary of State Direction) During stage 2, the PCT will need to meet the SHA Readiness Criteria so that the SHA can recommend the PCT to be included in the EPS Authorisation Directions. PCTs also need to develop business continuity guidance to cover prescribing sites, undertake business process mapping, put in place a training strategy and patient enablement strategy and continue to develop the PCT-wide deployment plan.

Stage 3: Initial Enablement of EPS During Stage 3 the PCT-wide deployment plan will be further developed based on local resources and system supplier timescales for all prescribers in the PCT and work should be done to confirm that the patient enablement strategy, training strategy, communications and stakeholder engagement strategy are being delivered across the PCT.

Stage 4: EPS Operating as Business as Usual In the final stage, deployment is progressed, local policies and processes are reviewed in light of lessons learnt and the experience from the operation of the service, benefits are reviewed and revisited and business as usual processes are established for dispensing tokens, smartcards, service management and using information from nomination audit reports.

Further details can be found in the NHS CFH document, “EPS Implementation Strategy Phase 3, Stages of Implementation”.

Key work areas for LPCs in relation to EPS

There are a range of work areas for LPCs in supporting local implementation of EPS including:

Find out who the PCT’s EPS Lead is and ensure their contact details are communicated to local pharmacies. Find out who the PCT’s RA Lead is and ensure their contact details are communicated to local pharmacies.
Discuss the PCT plan for engaging with the LPC. This should be documented in the PCT’s stakeholder engagement strategy. PCTs are likely to establish local EPS Implementation Boards; the LPC should be a member.
Ensure the EPS Release 2 smartcard distribution and transition policy and the token distribution process meets the needs of contractors and support communication of arrangements via LPC Communication channels.
Ensure the PCT nomination policy is in line with national guidance and clearly documents how the PCT will monitor and enforce use of the nomination policy by pharmacies and prescribers.
Discuss local business continuity planning (discussions are ongoing nationally on business continuity planning and further guidance is expected to be published in the coming months).
Deployment planning: Note as there is limited information available on system readiness this will need to be an iterative process.
Strategy for communicating with contractors in particular informing pharmacies when individual GPs go-live.

Although GPs in an area may not have started issuing electronic prescriptions, as soon as a pharmacy has deployed EPS Release 2 they are entitled to receive the £1000 EPS Allowance. PSNC is advising LPCs that to support those pharmacies that do want to deploy EPS Release 2 early, if not already done, the LPC may wish to prioritise agreeing the smartcard distribution and transition policy and the token distribution procedures.

Back

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