Stigma? What stigma?
Jim Thomson, chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, strongly argues for greater regulations on online pharmacies and the sale of prescription-only drugs over the web.
Feature
Decision on Boots ETP software due soon
Boots, the retail pharmacy chain, hopes to hear soon whether it has reached the criteria needed to obtain a certificate of deployment for its Smartscript software from NHS Connecting for Health. The software, which will eventually be used to enable the electronic transfer of prescriptions (ETP) has been installed in the vast majority of Boots’ […]
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Software for Scottish minor ailments service launched
Software to support the first phase of Scotland’s e-pharmacy plans has begun to be used by a pharmacy to run its minor ailments service. Cegedim Rx is the first of the pharmacy system suppliers to release electronic minor ailments service (e-MAS) software which it is planned will eventually be used by all pharmacies across Scotland. […]
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Bradford gets UK’s first iSOFT pharmacy solution
Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust has become the first implementation of iSOFT’s i.Pharmacy software in the UK, a move that the company says paves the way towards its common clinical solution, Lorenzo. The system, a combined medicine supply management and patient record system, was installed in two acute hospital sites and in the care trust, covering 95 […]
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Pharmacy system accredited for ETP
A patient medication record software for pharmacies, eclipsePMR, has successfully completed testing for electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) and will begin its first installation next week. Michele Hulme, commercial director of Hadley Healthcare, said: "We have just passed the sandpit test. The next stage from that is putting the system live." The practice and the pharmacy, […]
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GP systems market shake-out predicted by Granger
The numbers of GP system suppliers and local pharmacies could be reduced within five years as the NHS IT programme transforms their markets, Richard Granger, chief executive of NHS Connecting for Health, has predicted. Granger described the primary care systems market as "immature" and based on a business model unlikely to be sustainable. He said: "I don’t […]
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Croydon becomes second ETP site
A pharmacy in south London and a primary care outreach centre for refugees have jointly become the second site to go live with Connecting for Health’s electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) project. Brigstock Pharmacy in Croydon shares the same site with the Rainbow Medical Centre for refugees and the pharmacy has so far processed between […]
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Pharmacists advised not to sign ETP agreements
Pharmacists are being advised not to sign agreements for electronic transmission of prescription (ETP) enabled systems until guidance on compliance status is issued by NHS Connecting for Health. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has released a statement advising pharmacists not to commit to anything yet. It is understand that some suppliers are offering to […]
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MPs call for block on ETP ‘nomination’ plans
A cross-party group of MPs has backed calls for prescribers to be prevented from nominating pharmacies when electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) is rolled out. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) is already lobbying the government to stop the National Programme for IT’s plans to allow prescribers’ to nominate pharmacies. The PSNC claims prescriber nomination […]
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NPfIT defends its ETP plans
The National Programme for IT has defended its plans for electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) which it says will enhance rather than restrict patient choice. The programme’s proposals to allow GPs and other prescribers to nominate a patient’s pharmacy were criticised by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and an all party group of MPs […]
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