National Services Scotland (NSS) has requested NHS Digital to collect and analyse Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (HEPMA) data from NHS Health Boards in Scotland for COVID-19 purposes. The data will be disseminated back to NSS to support the NHS in Scotland and Scottish Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The data collected will include:

• what medicines have been prescribed to patients in hospital settings
• how and when the medicine was taken by the patient (administration)
• the reasons for prescribing if this is available (known as indications)
• the patient’s CHI number
• what stage of the patient’s journey through the hospital the data relates to (where available).

This Notice is served on:

• the five NHS Health Boards in Scotland using WellSky HEPMA systems which have agreed to participate in the collection.

Specific collection dates will be agreed with the individual Health Boards.

Initially the collection will take data from 1 January 2020, to be followed by a further historic collection of data from 1 January 2019. Once this is completed, submissions will start on a daily basis.

A formal review will take place with NHSX and Public Health Scotland before 31 March 2022 when the next review under the COVID-19 National Services Scotland Non-Mandatory Request 2020 is due to take place.