INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
minister Jo Churchill has announced that all prescriptions across England will be digitized.The electronic prescription service (EPS) will
be rolled out on a nation-wide scale once a trial run in 60 GP practices and hundreds of pharmacies is complete.Currently up to 70 percent
of all prescriptions are being prescribed and dispensed through EPS
GPs and pharmacies have already given the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) positive feedback on the service.While the first EPS
went live in 2009 at a GP surgery and pharmacy in Leeds, once the final stage is rolled out, almost all prescriptions will be sent
Going forward, patients will be able to get their medications by either nominating a pharmacy to receive details directly from their GP or
they will receive a paper prescription that has a digital barcode on it.The medical information of patients in England is stored on a secure
NHS database called Spine which will allow a patient's prescription to be easily accessed by GPs and pharmacies.According to the DHSC, the
processing.Patients will be able to digitally sign for and cancel electronic prescriptions
This will reduce the amount of administration required to store prescriptions as well as the volume of prescriptions which need to be
prescription service is a key part of keeping up the drive to make the NHS fit for the 21st century
This will free up vital time for GPs and allow pharmacists to spend more time with their patients, and save millions of pounds a year
