Pharmacy representatives have told pharmacists that there is no deadline to implement the electronic prescription service (EPS) in fresh advice issued this week.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), the negotiating body for pharmacists, and the National Pharmacy Association which represents more than 6,000 pharmacy owners, have received increasing numbers of calls from pharmacists concerned about a possible deadline for implementation of the EPS.
Lindsay McClure, head of information services for the PSNC, said the calls had prompted the PSNC to issue advice via its website (link).
McClure told EHI Primary Care: “What we are saying is that there is no deadline yet although it is likely that there will be one at some stage. We are advising contractors to take the time now to investigate the options so that when their preferred system supplier does have a compliant system they will be ready and to make sure they have a smartcard.”
McClure said deadlines could not be set until it becomes clear how long it will take system suppliers to pass through the EPS compliance testing process and then roll out their systems nationally
So far only one commercially available supplier, AAH, has been granted authority to roll-out its pharmacy system plus the in-house system developed by Lloyds Pharmacy. Seven other commercially available system suppliers, including leading supplier Cegedim, are still in the process of compliance testing (link).
Pharmacy contractors have been paid two allowances worth a total of £2,600 to prepare for the introduction of release one of EPS. The Drug Tariff states that if the pharmacy has not deployed release one of the service by a date which has not yet been set the PCT will be able to reclaim these allowances from the pharmacy contractor through a deduction via the monthly schedule of payments.
Nigel Cox from the National Pharmacy Association said pharmacists would be given notice of any deadline.
He added: “There is no deadline as yet and if there is a need for one pharmacists will get three months notice so there is no need to panic. Pharmacists are very positive about EPS but they also have to cope with all the other aspects of their new contract.”
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