More than 70 organisations have told the Department of Health that they want
to take part in trials of the electronic transfer of prescriptions from surgeries
to pharmacies.
They have now been asked to submit preliminary proposals to the National Health
Service Executive by November 9. No more than three six-month trials will start
early next year.
Lord Hunt (Parliamentary Under-
Secretary of State for Health) said on October 17: “I believe ETP has enormous
potential to bring real and significant benefits to patients and represents
another major step towards modernising primary care.”
An independent evaluation of the pilots will contribute to the development of
open standards to ensure full national integration when ETP becomes available
routinely from 2004.