NHS Electronic Prescription Service Expansion

NHS Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) to be used by a group of London urgent care services.

16:50 02 January 2018

NHS Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), which is previously available only to GPs, will be made available to a group of London urgent care services some time in the new year.

 

 

EPS was developed as part of the NHS National Programme for IT and has been in used by GPs since the late 2000s. It allows doctors as well as healthcare workers to make prescription available to community pharmacists. It is now being tested in NHS 111, out-of-hour services, clinical assessment services, minor injuries units, walk-in centres and urgent care centres.

 

 

If successful, a national deployment will be authorised.

 

Richard Ashcroft, programme director for digital medicines at NHS Digital, said: "This is an important development which will bring significant benefit to patients in integrated urgent care, building on the time and money that EPS has already saved across primary care

 

"Rolling this additional service out will relieve some of the pressures faced by out-of-hours services such as 111, particularly during winter months, and will improve the experience for patients."