GP practices across London have successfully made the switch to using the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), saving hours of time and money, NHS Digital says.
A total of 1,311 eligible GP practices across the capital are now using the service, which allows patients’ prescriptions to be sent directly from their doctor’s surgery to their pharmacist – negating the need for paper prescriptions.
As well as “a significant amount of time” the EPS system is estimated to have saved the NHS £130 million over the last three years, according to NHS Digital.
In addition, the system has paved the way for electronic repeat dispensing (eRD), which has further helped health professionals optimise their time by allowing prescribers to authorise a batch of prescriptions for regular medicines for up to 12 months with just one digital signature.
“I am really pleased that this service is now available to all London GPs. EPS supports the seamless flow of information about prescription needs for patients and reduces administrative time, freeing up resources for direct patient care,” commented Keith Farrar, senior responsible owner for Digital Medicines at NHS England.
