First guidance for pharmacists published by CfH
Pharmacists need smartcards to use the electronic prescription service |
Guidance (PDF 50K) on what pharmacy contractors in England need to do
in order to implement release 1 of the electronic prescription service
(EPS)
has
been published by NHS Connecting for Health (CfH).
The guidance tells contractors that they will need to order an upgrade
to their pharmacy system so that it is EPS compliant, install hardware
and software, arrange suitable network connectivity, obtain smartcards
for their pharmacists and ensure their staff are trained in the operation
of the new system.
When choosing a compliant system, NHS CfH advises contractors to speak
to their current pharmacy system supplier to see what solution they can
offer. Future developments for release 2 of EPS implementation should
be taken into account, it says. There are currently eight EPS-accredited
systems that are commercially available. A list of suppliers, and whether
their systems have been granted authority to be rolled out nationally,
is available via the NHS CfH website.
System suppliers will supply a smartcard reader and barcode scanner,
as well as software for operating the EPS.
Regarding network connectivity, the guidance says that a number of options
are available depending on individual pharmacy requirements. Indirect
connections to N3 (national network for the NHS) can be purchased as
part of a system supplier package or via a commercial network provider,
a list of which will be available on the NHS CfH website shortly.
Direct connections may be an appropriate option for large pharmacy chains
with corporate networks. The guidance says that companies wishing to
follow this route will need to be sponsored, in most cases by their PCT,
in order to purchase a connection.
Smartcards are necessary to enable dispensing staff to access the EPS
and will be issued to all community pharmacists, including locum pharmacists.
Smartcards will be issued by PCTs and can be used in any community pharmacy
in England. Pharmacists should contact their PCT registration authority
to arrange registration and issue of smartcards, the guidance states.
To obtain a smartcard, a face-to-face meeting, proof of identity and
a completed registration form are necessary.
Staff training on the use of new pharmacy systems will also be available
from the system suppliers. In addition, an NHS CfH leaflet “The
electronic prescription service — a guide for healthcare professionals” can
be used to brief staff. The leaflet should be available via the NHS CfH
website shortly.
There is no need for pharmacists to co-ordinate “going live” with
local GP practices. Traditional FP10s will still be able to be processed
in the usual way, but barcoded
prescriptions can be scanned allowing prescription details to be retrieved
electronically.
The guidance is available on the NHS CfH website. Implementation guidance
on release 2 of EPS will be distributed before national deployment. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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