Paper prescriptions will be scrapped next month under an NHS plan to save £300m over two years, with Jo Churchill, the primary care minister, announcing all prescriptions across England will be digitised.
The electronic prescription service (EPS) will be rolled out nationally after a trial run in 60 GP practices and hundreds of pharmacies.
At least 70% of all prescriptions are already being prescribed and dispensed through EPS and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has already received positive feedback from GPs and pharmacies.
The first EPS went live in 2009 at a GP surgery and pharmacy in Leeds. Once the final stage is rolled out, nearly all prescriptions will be sent electronically.
Under the electronic system, patients can get their medications by either nominating a pharmacy that will receive the details directly from their GP or receive a paper prescription with the digital barcode.
The medical information is held on a secure NHS database called Spine and will allow a patient’s prescription to be accessed quickly by GPs and pharmacies.
The EPS is expected to save the NHS £300m by 2021 by increasing efficiencies, reducing the amount of paper processing and prescribing errors, the DHSC said.
Instead of using a physical signature patients will be allowed to digitally sign and cancel electronic prescriptions. The department said the system would reduce the amount of administration needed around prescriptions, and the volume of prescriptions that need to be stored.
Churchill said: “Digitising the entire 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.
”It’s another important step towards eventually making all prescriptions paperless. We are continuing to improve technology across the NHS, which will ultimately improve care for patients.”
Dr Ian Lowry, the director of digital medicines and pharmacy at NHS Digital, said: “Every prescription that is sent electronically saves money for the NHS by increasing efficiency. The system is also safer and more secure, as prescriptions can’t be lost and clinicians can check their status online.
“This is a huge milestone to reach, and one which benefits patients, GPs, pharmacists and the NHS as a whole.”
