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Electronic prescriptions for dispensers

Find out about using the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), the benefits it offers to dispensers, along with advice and support on using the service.

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SCAL notice for suppliers

Please refer to the Supplier Conformance Assessment List (SCAL) as the definitive source of supplier information and guidance for EPS development. You will receive the SCAL when you begin the EPS onboarding process.

Help improve the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)

We're looking for feedback from users of EPS to improve information available to patients and healthcare professionals. 

If you're a prescriber or dispenser, you can help this research by taking part in workshops, telephone interviews or short online surveys. 

Find out more and register your interest.

EPS allows dispensers to receive prescriptions electronically from prescribers and enables dispensers to:  

  • release and verify prescriptions
  • return prescriptions
  • send and amend dispense notifications
  • withdraw dispense notifications
  • send and amend dispense claims

This makes the dispensing process more efficient and convenient for patients and staff. 

Benefits of EPS for dispensers

Prescriptions are processed more efficiently
  • Electronic prescriptions contain the patient's prescription information, so there is less need to type this into your dispensing system. 
  • Prescribers use a standardised drug dictionary to complete electronic prescriptions, improving prescription accuracy and reducing the risk of patients receiving the wrong medication.
  • Receive fewer reimbursement queries due to electronic prescription endorsement.
  • Reduced risk of duplicate prescriptions as electronic prescriptions can't be lost.
Less paperwork
  • Only signed tokens need to be sent to the NHS Business Services Authority in the month end prescription submission without the need to file and sort them as when using FP10s.
  • No need to send and collect paper prescriptions to and from GP practices. 
  • No need to wait for paper prescriptions to arrive in the post.
Better stock control
  • Accessing electronic prescriptions in advance of the patient's arrival means you have time to order out-of-stock items. 
  • Electronic prescriptions can be integrated with stock control modules to further reduce administration.
Improved patient satisfaction
  • Electronic prescriptions allow you to order and prepare prescriptions in advance, reducing waiting time for patients and ensuring stock is available. 
  • Notes can be added to electronic prescriptions, allowing messages from prescribers to be passed on to patients. 

Case studies

Information to help pharmacies make the most of the EPS.

ARTICLE

Case study - Living Care Pharmacy, Leeds

Living Care Pharmacy in Moortown, Leeds is part of a small independent chain with a number of regular elderly patients. They have been successfully using the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) since their lead GP practice went live in November 2014.

EPS in integrated urgent care and other settings

You can now dispense prescriptions received from urgent, primary and community care settings. 

Prescribers use EPS to prescribe medicines in the same way as prescriptions are currently sent from GP practices to community pharmacies using EPS. 

Prescribers in urgent care settings can identify a pharmacy that is open and accessible for the patient using similar processes as they use for paper FP10s.

Find out more about EPS in integrated urgent care and community health. 

Using the Electronic Prescription Service as a dispenser

Here are some resources to help you get the most out of using the Electronic Prescription Service. 

Nominations

To use the Electronic Prescription Service, patients choose where their prescriber will electronically send their prescription. This is called nomination. 

Read more about nominating a pharmacy

Dispensing

Electronic prescriptions must be downloaded from the NHS Spine before being dispensed to the patient. 

Read more about dispensing electronic prescriptions

Finding prescriptions 

If you can't find an electronic prescription on your system, there are 2 things you can do: 

  1. Do a routine prescription download. 
  2. Use the EPS Prescription Tracker and search by NHS number. 
Electronic repeat dispensing for dispensers

Electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) is an integral part of the EPS, which offers many extra benefits over paper repeat dispensing and dispensing of repeat prescriptions.

Read more about electronic repeat dispensing

Cancelling electronic prescriptions

Prescribers can cancel electronic prescriptions at any point. Dispensers are notified of cancellations either when they attempt to retrieve the electronic prescription, or by being contacted directly by prescribers.

Read more about cancelling an electronic prescription.

Returning prescriptions to the Spine

A prescription can be returned to the NHS Spine at the request of the patient (for example where a prescription cannot be fulfilled at the dispensing site) or at the request of a prescriber (where they wish to cancel the prescription). Your system supplier will have guidance on how to complete this action. 

Endorsement and claim messages

You can manage your submissions of reimbursement endorsements electronically. These must be selected and submitted electronically using the specific codes provided, with any supporting information.

Find out about NHS Business Service Authority's guidance for endorsements. 

Reimbursements

Read our information on claiming reimbursement for electronic prescriptions to find out more about how to send an Electronic Reimbursement Endorsement Message (EREM) when you have dispensed a prescription, sent a dispense notification and want to claim reimbursement.

Submitting monthly reimbursements

You can manage the submission of reimbursement endorsements electronically for electronic prescriptions, rather than sorting and posting them at the end of each month.

Find out about NHS Business Service Authority's guidance for endorsements.  

Prescribing and dispensing tokens

Paper copies of electronic prescriptions will always need to be made available under certain circumstances. For example, when:

  • GPs (prescribers) issue a non-nominated prescription
  • pharmacists (dispensers) need to capture a patient signature for exemption declaration purposes

Paper copies of electronic prescriptions are called 'tokens'. They act as a hard copy of the details contained within the electronic prescription. There are two types of token; prescription and dispensing.

Read more about prescription and dispensing tokens

Contact us

Enquiry Point of contact
Live service incident

National Service Desk
Email: [email protected]
EPS implementation queries (for NHS organisations)

Digital Partnering Hub
Email: [email protected]
EPS onboarding enquiries

EPS Onboarding and Assurance team
Email: [email protected]
EPS support enquiries (live services)

EPS Live Service Management Team
Email: [email protected]
Senior responsible officer (SRO)

Rahul Singal
Email: [email protected]
Any other general enquiries

Enquiries team
Email: [email protected]

Further information

internal EPS clinical prescription tracker

The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) Prescription Tracker allows staff working at prescribing and dispensing sites to check the status of a prescription.

external
internal Statistics

Download the latest statistics, GP planned go-lives and more. The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) sends electronic prescriptions from GP surgeries to pharmacies Download the number of nominations set by dispensing contractor.

Last edited: 19 April 2024 1:45 pm