EPS in other care settings

To use EPS, your service must have a valid 6-digit ODS (‘prescribing cost centre’) code - for example, Y12345 as used with FP10 prescribing (not those used for FP10’HP’ prescribing).

Note: with EMIS and TPP, EPS can currently only be deployed using a single cost centre code per prescribing module/unit. If you wish to allocate your EPS prescribing costs across multiple cost centres this must be managed locally, and/or discussed with the supplier.

Tips to establish your cost centre code:

1. What prescribing cost centre code does your service currently use for paper FP10 prescriptions? (printed or pads).
2. Ask your commissioner/prescribing lead for advice.
3. You can search for existing ‘prescribing cost centres’ and associated prescriber codes using the ODS portal. 
4. Learn more about NHS BSA’s information about prescribing cost centres how to request a new cost centre, spurious medical prescriber codes, and non-medical prescriber (NMP) registration.

If you are going to use a service-level spurious prescriber code, you will need to seek advice from your system supplier about how to configure this within the system, to enable your medical prescribers to use it.

We have provided some business process considerations for an organisation starting to use the EPS for nominated and non-nominated prescriptions.

Patients can choose to nominate a pharmacy for their electronic prescriptions to be sent to. Nominations can be set or changed for a patient by the prescribing organisation or a dispensing organisation within the patient record, which will update the nomination on the Spine.

Some apps and patient facing online services also provide the functionality for patients to change their own nomination.

Patients who use a Dispensing Appliance Contractor (DAC) for some of their items can also have a DAC nomination.

If the patient has a nomination in place the prescribing system will default to send their EPS prescriptions to the nominated dispensing organisation (pharmacy or DAC). The prescription will be signed using the smartcard PIN and sent to the Spine, with no need for a token to be printed.

The prescription will be released from the Spine when the pharmacy requests a download for their nominated prescriptions. The prescription will then be processed electronically by the pharmacy

If the prescribing system allows, there may be the option to select a ‘one-off’ nomination for an individual prescription. This is a useful option for an acute or repeat prescription if the patient can’t use their usual nominated dispenser.

At the point of prescribing, there will be the option to choose a pharmacy that is listed in the Directory of Services (DoS). The opening times will be displayed.

A one-off nomination does not affect the patient’s regular nomination, but the one-off prescription would be affected if the regular nomination is changed before it is collected.

Please do not use one-off nomination when issuing an eRD prescription.

If the patient does not have a nomination in place the prescription will be signed using the smartcard PIN and the prescription will be sent to the Spine. A token will print; this should be given to the patient who can then take it to a pharmacy of their choice. The barcode on the token will be scanned by the dispensing site and the legal prescription will be released from the Spine for them to process electronically.

If the patient has a nomination but does not want to use their regular nominated dispenser and the functionality for ‘one-off’ nominations is not available, the prescription can be reverted to a non-nominated prescription. Check your system supplier guidance for how to revert a prescription to non-nominated.

This type of prescription will not be affected by any additions or changes to a nomination. 

In scenarios where the patient is not present and cannot collect the token, they can still go to a pharmacy to ask them to download and dispense the prescription. See the Using EPS in remote consultations section. 

The ability to add messages to the dispenser and/or clinical messages for the patient’s attention is available in prescribing systems. See your supplier's guidance for how to do this in your prescribing system.

Depending on the situation you are dealing with and the urgency of the prescription, you may consider it necessary to contact the dispenser to alert them to this prescription, for example if the patient is not attending the pharmacy in person, it requires delivery, or if you need to check they can supply the items (such as controlled drugs).

Do not assume that adding a message to the EPS prescription will be sufficient for urgent clinical need.

There are only a few scenarios where a prescription will not be sent electronically. These include:

• private prescriptions
• instalment dispensed CD (FP10MDA) prescriptions
• if the patient wishes to have their prescription dispensed in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
• if, in the professional judgement of the prescriber, the welfare of the patient is likely to be in jeopardy unless a paper prescription is issued

Check your system supplier guidance for how to revert a prescription to FP10 if required.

Prescriptions raised by prescribers will be digitally signed using their smartcard PIN and sent according to the patient’s nomination status.

Prescriptions raised by admin or a non-signing clinician will be sent to the EPS signing queue which will be accessed by the signing clinicians and signed digitally. Check the system guidance for signing electronic prescriptions.   

Please consider:

• the process to alert signing clinicians of urgent prescriptions in the EPS signing queue that need an immediate signature
• when and where these tokens should print and refer to your system supplier guidance (for non-nominated prescriptions, tokens will print after the prescription is signed) 
• how to advise the patient of their NHS number if the patient is unable to collect their EPS non-nominated token

If post-dating an EPS prescription, please consider that:

• EPS prescriptions are not released to Spine until post date is reached
• a prescription will not be visible on the EPS Tracker until they are released to the Spine
• an EPS token will print for non-nominated prescriptions with the intended dispense date showing in the ‘Date of issue’ box - this should be given to the patient if present or able to collect

Electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) allows the prescriber to authorise and issue a batch of prescriptions with just one digital signature. Learn more about more about eRD for prescribers. 

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

The prescribing organisation can cancel the whole electronic prescription or individual item(s) on the prescription at any point until it's dispensed to the patient. A reason for cancellation is requested and then a cancellation message is sent to the Electronic Prescription Service. 

The success of cancellation and action to be taken to cancel depends on the status of the prescription. Feedback will be received in the prescribing system to advise whether or not the cancellation was successful.

Ensure the correct people have access rights to cancel prescriptions assigned to their smartcards, and that cancellation responses are reviewed and actioned appropriately. Check your system supplier guidance

If you require further support or guidance, after reviewing these and your system supplier’s resources, please contact [email protected].