Boots has become the second pharmacy system supplier to develop and test the technology needed to support the delivery of an Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in Wales.
The UK’s leading health and beauty retailer has made changes to its dispensing software to enable it to be ready to receive prescriptions digitally instead of on paper. The system, which has now been developed to get Boots pharmacies in Wales ready for EPS, has just started its testing phase, which is due to be completed early in 2024.
If testing is successful, the system will be introduced in Boots stores across Wales as part of the phased roll out of EPS, which will take place as safely and quickly as possible from early 2024.
The introduction of EPS across Wales is a key part of the Digital Medicines Transformation Portfolio and will make the process of prescribing and dispensing medicines safer, easier and more efficient for patients and health care professionals. It enables GPs to send prescriptions electronically to the patient’s choice of community pharmacy, without the need for a paper form.
It will also help the environment, saving up to 40 million paper prescription forms from being printed each year in Wales.
The first sites to use EPS went live in November using EMIS Group’s GP system and the Titan pharmacy system from Invatech. The service is currently being tested with patients in Rhyl, Denbighshire, at Lakeside Medical Centre and Wellington Road Pharmacy.
Jenny Pugh-Jones, Senior Responsible Owner of the Primary Care Electronic Prescription Service programme, said: “It is really exciting to see that we are already moving into the testing phase with Boots as our second pharmacy system supplier to enable EPS across Wales.
“We are delighted to work with Boots, which has a strong presence in communities throughout Wales, and look forward to the impact that this partnership will have for patients, pharmacy staff and GPs.”
Jenny Rose, Director of Stores for Wales, Merseyside and West Midlands at Boots, said: “Electronic prescriptions will make it easier and safer for patients to access the medicines they need and will make life easier for GP surgeries and pharmacy teams too. Having been present in Wales for over 125 years, we are excited to support the introduction of electronic prescriptions in this important test phase and hope to roll out EPS to all our Wales stores in the near future.”
The Digital Medicines Transformation Portfolio brings together the programmes and projects that will deliver the benefits of a fully digital prescribing approach in all healthcare settings in Wales. For more information and to sign up to our newsletter, please visit www.dhcw.nhs.wales/dmtp.
