Electronic prescription scheme goes live in Leeds
Kable
Published: 30 Jul 2009 12:03 BST
A GP's surgery and a pharmacy in Leeds have become the first to use Release 2 of England's Electronic Prescription Service.
Calverley Medical Centre in Pudsey, Leeds has begun passing prescriptions electronically to Liptrots Pharmacy as initial implementers of the service. Another 17 GP surgeries are due to begin using the system soon.
The move is a significant step in the implementation of England's NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT). The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is aimed at replacing the paper transfer of patients' prescriptions.
Calverley has been using EPS Release 1, which ensures that systems are compliant and provides for the barcoding of written prescriptions, since 2006. A spokesperson for the Department of Health (DoH) said Connecting for Health (CfH), the agency leading the programme, has encouraged pharmacists to have the systems for EPS Release 1 in place by the end of this month and believes most are now equipped for it.
The DoH is aiming to implement Release 2 around the country, but does not yet have a timeframe.
EPS users need a smart card, which provides levels of access determined by their role in the prescribing and dispensing process. This is aimed at ensuring only the appropriate people can see details of prescriptions.
The DoH said the service will save patients from visiting their GP to obtain repeat prescriptions, give them more freedom in which pharmacist they use and making it possible for their prescriptions to be prepared before delivery. It should also enable GPs to cancel a prescription before it is dispensed, if necessary, and save pharmacists from re-keying information.
Tim Donohoe, programmes and operations director for CfH, said: "This is a key milestone for EPS. We have been working closely with the suppliers — CSC/TPP (suppliers of the clinical system) and Cegedim (the pharmacy system supplier) — as well as Leeds Primary Care Trust, Calverley Medical Centre and Liptrots Pharmacy in Leeds to introduce EPS Release 2, which will bring real benefits to patients, GP practices and pharmacy staff.
"We will now focus on learning the lessons from this initial implementation and encouraging other suppliers and primary care trusts to progress with their plans to deliver the benefits of EPS Release 2 to every GP practice and pharmacy in England."
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