Using EPS in remote consultations

Nominations allow the patient to receive their prescriptions from a dispensary of their choice.

More information about EPS nominations. 

If one-off nomination functionality is available within your prescribing system, use this to override the patient’s regular nominated pharmacy for this prescription only.

The one-off nomination will not affect future prescriptions; they will continue to be sent to the patient’s regular nominated pharmacy. However, the one-off prescription would be affected if the regular pharmacy nomination is changed before it has been downloaded by the one-off pharmacy.

If one-off nomination functionality is not available, you may consider changing the patient’s regular nomination (dependent on your prescribing system). If a patient wishes to make a ‘temporary’ change of nomination, it is important to advise the patient that: 

1. The change of nomination will apply to future prescriptions and may also affect any that they have not yet collected from their pharmacy.
2. Once they have received their medication from the ‘temporary’ pharmacy, they should ask the pharmacy to change their nomination back to their usual pharmacy. Alternatively, they can contact the practice or their usual pharmacy when they wish to re-set their nomination. Or change it themselves if this functionality is available to them via their patient-facing service or app.

If the nomination is changed back or removed too soon, such as before the intended pharmacy has downloaded the prescription, then that pharmacy will not receive the prescription in their routine download.

If an EPS nomination is not a suitable option and if non-nominated prescriptions are enabled in your prescribing system, send the prescription as a non-nominated EPS prescription.

The prescription will be signed electronically and sent to the Spine. The prescribing system will default to print a token, which would be given to the patient if they were present, to take to a pharmacy of their choice.  

In scenarios where 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.  

In this case it is important to:

1. provide the patient with the Prescription ID if possible. 
2. if this is not possible or practical, ensure the patient knows their NHS number or where they can find it (such as their prescription repeat ordering slip, app or online services).
3. advise the patient to give the pharmacy their Prescription ID or NHS number when they arrive.

The ability to add messages to the dispenser and/or clinical messages for the patient’s attention is available in prescribing systems.

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 (e.g. Controlled Drugs).

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