Private practice doctors across the UK are now able to offer electronic prescriptions using CloudRx.
The switch enabled private practices to switch to virtual consultation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The system, which was fast-tracked in March, was developed specifically to help the private sector move to digital prescribing. Hundreds of practice have made the switch to the technology.
Professor Adam Fox, consultant paediatric allergist, said: “It has been a very challenging period for private practices, where we have had to do every consultation over the phone or via video.
“Being able to send prescriptions digitally has been one less thing to worry about and helped patients access their medication quickly. There is no joined-up provision for private practices as there is for the NHS. This goes some way to rectifying that.”
Daniel Lee, director and superintendent pharmacist at CloudRx, added: “There is a clear technology gap between the electronic prescribing capabilities of the NHS and the digital infrastructure available to independent private clinicians.
“We developed CloudRx specifically for private GPs and consultants to help reduce their reliance on paper prescriptions and provide a convenient digital option for patients.”
CloudRx allows clinicians to generate prescriptions with secure data entry through an encrypted online system. It works on mobile and desktop devices, allowing easy access for doctors and pharmacists.
Dr Sharon Silberstein, a lactation consultant from London who has run her own clinic for five years, said: “Since lockdown I started looking at ways to make it easier for mums to receive medication. Under the current circumstances a lot of new mums are quite apprehensive and don’t want to leave the house, so a service that delivers their prescriptions to their door has been extremely helpful.
“For me, it’s great to have a centralised digital record of my prescribing and finally be paper free. It’s saving me hours of admin time and I can support a lot more mums remotely.”