Electronic Prescription Service
The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is for prescribers and dispensers and is used in primary and secondary care.
Medicine supply issues
About this service
GP/NHS111
online pharmacies
The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) allows prescribers to send prescriptions electronically to a dispenser, such as a pharmacy, nominated by the patient. This makes the prescribing and dispensing process more efficient and convenient for patients and healthcare workers.
EPS is already widely used in primary care with over 95% of all prescriptions now being produced electronically.
EPS is not a clinical prescribing system. It is only responsible for managing the workflow of prescriptions from prescribers to dispensers.
Overview of EPS - video
Click the play button to watch a short EPS video which lasts 1 minute and 26 seconds.
Who this service is for
EPS is for patients, prescribers and dispensers. It is widely used in primary care, but its capability has been expanded to secondary and community care.
This covers:
- acute hospital trusts
- community hospital trusts
- mental health trusts
Primary care is for use in England and Wales. Secondary care is for use in England but not currently available in Wales. Users must access it indirectly via their acquired prescribing or dispensing system suppliers.
EPS is secure, healthcare workers must be suitably authenticated and authorised to access it. For example, to update a record, a healthcare worker must be strongly authenticated via NHS Care Identity Service 2 (NHS CIS2).
Prescription tracking service
EPS offers 2 different prescription tracking services.
Prescription tracking for healthcare professionals
The EPS clinical prescription tracker allows healthcare professionals at prescribing and dispensing sites to check the status and location of a prescription. We are currently working on an improved version of this and will post progress updates here as we continue development.
Prescription tracking for patients
We are also working on a national prescription tracking service for patients. This will allow patients to access information about their prescriptions online, and track the status and readiness of their prescribed items.
Benefits
Benefits of EPS include:
- prescribers can process prescriptions more efficiently
- dispensers can reduce paper use and improve stock control
- dispensers reduce the risk of dispensing errors compared to hand-written prescriptions
- patients can collect repeat prescriptions from a local pharmacy without visiting their GP
Find out more about the benefits of EPS for prescribers and dispensers.
National usage policy
EPS is not strictly mandated, but it is strongly recommended for use by prescribing and dispensing services.
Organisations may benefit by working collectively as Integrated Care Systems (ICS) when delivering EPS.
How this service works
Details on how to use EPS depends on your role.
For more information on how to use this service refer to the following pages:
Examples of use
Status, service level and current usage
This service is live and has been in active use since 2005.
It is current used by prescribers and dispensers in a variety of care settings including:
- primary care
- secondary care
- community care
A billion prescription items were dispensed via the Electronic Prescription Service in 2022, equating to over 95% off all items dispensed.
EPS is a platinum service, meaning it is available and supported 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
How to access this service
Contact us
Enquiry | Point of contact |
---|---|
Live service incident |
National Service Desk |
EPS implementation queries (for NHS organisations) |
Digital Partnering Hub |
EPS onboarding enquiries |
EPS Onboarding and Assurance team |
EPS support enquiries (live services) |
EPS Live Service Management Team |
Senior responsible officer (SRO) |
Rahul Singal |
Any other general enquiries |
Enquiries team NHS Developer Community forum |
Further information
The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) non-nominated prescriptions has enabled EPS to become the default for prescribing, dispensing and reimbursement of prescriptions in primary care in England.
Advice for dispensing doctors.
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.
We're responsible for recording data related to the deployment of systems and services across health and social care systems in England. You'll find links to management information dashboards containing this data.
Find out about prescribing Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs using the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), and what this means for prescribers and dispensers.
A list of the assured suppliers of EPS and their product status. This page covers the assured features, cost centre models and software versions for each supplier and their product.
Why and how we process your data in the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in England, and your rights.
Why and how we process your data in the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Medicines Data, and your rights.
Why and how we process your data within EPS, and your rights.
Why and how we process your data within EPS in Wales, and your rights.
Learn how to embed a signature when creating a prescription within the NHS Electronic Prescription Service.
Last edited: 22 October 2024 10:33 am