EPS tops 10m prescription mark

More than 10 million electronic prescription messages have now been transmitted using the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), NHS Connecting for Health (CfH) has announced.

Latest figures from CfH show that 10,061,362 messages had been transmitted by 9 January as part of release one of the EPS project which allows pharmacists to scan prescription details into their systems using a barcode printed on the FP10s.

A total of 24% of GP surgeries and 36% of community pharmacies are currently capable of offering release one of EPS and CfH says it is now deploying “a large proportion” of the prescribing and dispensing systems to GP and pharmacy sites across England that have been put forward by suppliers for compliance testing. Seven pharmacy systems have so far received authority to rollout their EPS software including the in-house systems used by Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy. A further seven systems are still involved in the accreditation process.

Among the GP systems EMIS LV, INPS’s Vision 3, TPP’s SystmOne and Microtest’s GP systems have received authority to rollout their EPS software. According to the CfH website iSoft is waiting for version 2.11 of its Premiere system to be deployed before rolling out its EPS software and authority to rollout for Synergy is pending.

CfH says release two of EPS will deployed later this year. This will allow prescribers to use digital signatures, patients to nominate a pharmacy and pharmacists to claim for reimbursement electronically. The first test reimbursement claim message sent from the spine has been successfully received by the Prescription Pricing Division.

Tim Donohoe, EPS programme director, said: "Release 2 functionality has been live in the Spine since August 2006.

"We are now working with our user groups and system suppliers to ensure smooth delivery of Release 2 later this year. It is encouraging to see that uptake of the service continues to increase on a weekly basis.

"I would urge community pharmacy contractors who have not yet made plans to upgrade their existing system to be EPS compatible to contact their system supplier as soon as possible to discuss the options available."

In a typical week the NHS dispenses 13.7m prescriptions.