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ELECTRONIC PRESCRIPTION
SERVICE (EPS)
RELEASE 2
A Briefing for Harlow Health Care
Forum
October 2012
Paula Wilkinson
Chief Pharmacist MECCG
Lead Strategic Pharmacist-NHS
North Essex cluster
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Introduction to EPS
“NHS Information Centre report over 942 million prescription
items were dispensed in primary care in the year to September
2011. With this figure expected to continue rising by around 5%
each year, the NHS is moving to a more efficient and consistently
accurate electronic system that is better able to cope with this
continuing increase in prescription volumes”
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Approximately 70% of prescriptions are for repeat medication.
Release 2 of the Electronic Prescription Service will support the repeat dispensing
process.
EPS has been designed to reduce the paper administration associated with current
prescribing and dispensing processes by enabling prescriptions to be generated,
transmitted and received electronically.
The Electronic Prescription Service is initially being introduced in the following primary
care settings across England:
- GP practices (including dispensing practices)
- Community pharmacies
- Dispensing Appliance Contractors
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What changes will EPS
Release 2 bring?
• Nomination
• Electronic cancellation of
prescriptions
• Electronic repeat dispensing
• Electronic Submission of
reimbursement
endorsements
• Prescription and Dispensing
Tokens
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Nomination
Gives patients the option to choose, or ‘nominate', a preferred dispensing
contractor to which their prescriptions can be sent electronically
Electronic Cancellation of Prescriptions
Prescribers will automatically have the authority to cancel prescriptions
Electronic Repeat Dispensing
Prescribers can electronically sign, and therefore authorise, a specified
number of issues
Electronic Submission of reimbursement endorsements
Release 2 will support the electronic submission of reimbursement for
prescriptions from a patient’s nominated dispensing contractor to the NHS
Prescription Services.
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More about nomination

The EPS involves the electronic transmission of prescriptions safely and
securely. Paper is not required

Any dispensing contractor operating EPS release 2 can be nominated (see
restrictions on dispensing GPs)

Patients are not required to nominate a dispensing contractor located close
to their GP practice

Where patients use their nominated dispensing contractor. Prescriptions will
be sent automatically to that dispensing contractor

If the patient chooses not to use their nominated dispensing contractor for a
particular prescription, they must make that clear at the time of requesting
the prescription
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Patients can nominate:
A community pharmacy - specific premises must be nominated by the
patient, not a chain of pharmacies.
A dispensing GP practice - only for eligible patients living in a rural area
more than 1.6km from the nearest community pharmacy. Nomination of a
GP dispensing practice can only be done at the actual dispensing practice
itself.
A dispensing appliance contractor – where the appliance contractor
has an R2 EPS compliant system.
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
Patients can change their nominated dispensing contractor at their GP
practice, at the secure website HealthSpace, or at any dispensing
contractor, any time. This includes situations where they are part-way
through a repeat-dispensing cycle. Any prescriptions which have not been
previously downloaded before the change of dispensing contractor will be
accessed by the new contractor

Where a patient has nominated a dispensing contractor, that dispensing
contractor will usually be able to access the electronic prescription in
advance of the patient arriving.

However If the patient goes to a dispensing contractor other than the one
they have nominated, there may be a delay in accessing the electronic
prescription.

Patients do not have to receive their prescriptions via EPS, but if the
nomination service does not apply if they do not.
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Prescription tokens (form
FP10SS) required
• in the longer term when a patient
has not nominated a dispensing
contractor
• at the start of a repeat dispensing
regime
• where clinical information needs to
be communicated to the patient
• at a patient’s request
• if the prescriber deems it necessary
to do so.
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Dispensing Tokens (form FP10DT)
required for:
• Where a prescription has been sent to a
patient’s nominated pharmacy but that
pharmacy is unable to fulfil the order
• If the patient is not already in receipt of a
prescription token, a dispensing token will
normally need to be printed to collect the
patient’s exemption declaration (not age ), or
where the patient pays for their prescription
charge.
• Requested by the patient
• To support the communication of
supplementary clinical information to the
patient.
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Benefits for Patients
• A more convenient service with a reduction in trips to the GP practice just to
collect, or request a paper prescription, particularly for patients receiving
repeat medication.
• Greater freedom of choice, making it simpler to use a dispensing contractor
convenient to them.
• Potentially, it will also reduce pharmacy waiting times as dispensers will have
the opportunity to prepare prescriptions in advance of the patient's arrival.
• Opportunity to choose any pharmacy in the country! Advantage for relatives
who support patients by ordering and collecting their medication for them.
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Benefits for dispensing staff
• Frees dispensing staff from the work associated with re-keying prescription
information.
• EPS R2 allows dispensers to prepare medications in advance of patients
calling into the pharmacy
• Manage stock control more effectively and order out-of-stock items in a
timely manner, pharmacy staff can call down repeats 7 days in advance
• No longer required to physically collect prescriptions from GP practices for
patients who have nominated them.
• For electronic prescriptions, dispensers will be able to manage the
submission of reimbursement endorsements electronically.
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Benefits for prescribers
• Reduction in workload generated by patients requesting and collecting
individual prescriptions
• After reviewing electronic prescriptions on screen, prescribers can either
sign electronic prescriptions individually or select multiple electronic
prescriptions to sign.
• Prescribers will also have the ability to cancel electronic prescriptions
• Where currently a GP practice operates a prescription collection service,
staff will no longer need to sort (or post) prescriptions saving both time
and resource.
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So where are we now?
• Community pharmacies are getting ready; a lot can already receive EPS2
prescriptions
• GPs are not so advanced but now starting to move
• Secretary of State Directions-we must be authorised to use electronic
signatures on prescriptions-legal supply of medicines
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What do we need to achieve to apply for SOS Directions?
• Governance
• Project Management
Policies/Plans/Guidance/Strategies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nomination Policy
EPS Payment Policy
PCT Deployment Plan & revised plan
Business Continuity Plan & revised plan
EPS Transition Plan
Stationery Token Guidance
Communication & Engagement Strategy
Training Strategy
Patient Enablement Strategy
RA Policy for delivering EPS R2 RBAC
Business process mapped
Project Management Controls
• Risk and Issue log
• Lessons Learnt log
• Tracking Database
Identify local Pharmacy and GP
Practices systems and current EPS
status
Site selection for proposed initial
pairings (up to 5 sites)
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Which PCTs have SoS Directions?
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As at 12th October 2012 nationally
A total of 321 general practices and
7,117 dispensing contractors are now ready to start
using EPS Release 2.
To date, 1,830,577 Release 2 prescriptions
containing 4,260,861 items have been dispensed
and claimed.
A total of 741,655 patient nominations have been
set.
There are 83 PCTs with Secretary of State
Directions-there will be total of 116 from 1st
December 2012
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EPS2 sites and status across West Essex
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How can I find out more?
http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systems
andservices/eps