West Yorkshire centre becomes first to start ETP
The new FP10 prescription form with barcode allowing ETP |
A pharmacy and medical centre in Keighley, West Yorkshire, are the first to go live with electronic transmission of prescriptions.
The National Programme for IT announced this week that the Co-operative
pharmacy and the Ling House Medical Centre in Keighley are now transmitting
prescriptions electronically from the surgery to the pharmacy, and then
on to the Prescription Pricing Authority.
Patients receive prescriptions from their GP in the usual way, but the
prescription forms now contain a barcode which allows the participating
pharmacy to download the prescription from the system.
These prescription forms are now being referred to as “ETP tokens”.
Patients who choose to collect their medicines from another pharmacy
are able to have their prescription processed as normal.
The computer systems being used by these early implementer sites are
the Phoenix Partnership’s GP system, SystmOne, and AAH’s
pharmacy system, Link Evolution.
Derek Drury, head of information services for Co-op Pharmacy, told The
Journal: “We now have some extra steps to incorporate into our
dispensing process including scanning the prescription barcode and confirming
that the prescription has been collected. We are currently looking at
how best to fit these into our work patterns.”
Tim Donohoe, group programme director for the NPfIT, said: “Keighley
will be instrumental in ensuring that by the end of 2007 the service
is successfully introduced throughout England.”
Meanwhile, the NPfIT has confirmed that implementation of the patient
care record system in London and the South may be delayed until late
spring 2006. The NPfIT says this is because IDX, the software developer
responsible for these regions, needs more time to test its systems.
New FP10 forms in circulation Pharmacists
in England may soon come across a new
version of the FP10 prescription form designed to enable
ETP. In addition to other changes, a barcode may now appear down
the side that will serve as a prescription identifier for use in
ETP-enabled pharmacies. At this stage the barcode does not hold
any personal information about the patient. A letter sent by the
Prescription
Pricing Authority advises pharmacists that, unless they are involved
in the implementer stage of ETP, the introduction of these forms
will not affect their usual processes.
Full details about the new
forms can be accessed here |
|
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Pharmaceutical Journal
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