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Electronic prescription system


colmac

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I feel that this post may be best answered by CCers who may have more experience of this. Does anyone who is on regular medication have any experience of using the EPS whilst cruising ? We are off on our annual cruise mid April and my GP will only give me a scrip for 2 months. To use the EPS I understand that I would need to nominate a pharmacist somewhere en route. Any advice from those more experienced than I would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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I just send doc stamped envelope for three 'scripts. You can use poste Restante or check ahead and after advising a chemist get it sent there. With theEPS I guess you would change the nominated pharmacy each time.

Others will be along to tell their system soon. Use search box there was a thread or two recently. Try searching prescription or perhaps EPS or similar.

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=82559&hl=prescriptions

 

Here is one searched prescriptions.

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It works very well.

Get postal address of convenient local pharmacy. Phone your doctors, ask for repeat prescription and give address of pharmacy. they should be able to instantly look it up and confirm it is on the new EPS. If you want to be really clever you can get the EPS code from the pharmacy and give that to your doctor. Your prescription should arrive just as soon as your doctor can send it.

 

I think I am particularly lucky as the head doctor at my "local" practice was till recently a liveaboard boater himself so they do understand boaters needs.

 

..................Dave

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I just log on to Patient access website. Enter the repeat script section add the surgery or Pharmacy for collection click send and in two days the script is at my choice of place. All to simple really.

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I just log on to Patient access website. Enter the repeat script section add the surgery or Pharmacy for collection click send and in two days the script is at my choice of place. All to simple really.

This is not clear. Is this a website company that obtains the prescription from surgery and processes it for you.

 

If this is a surgery site can you change pharmacy address each time.

 

I get illeostomy bags from a private company. I go on their site requst what I need. They obtain prescription and send goods to any address I choose.

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You can "nominate" any pharmacy to receive your EPS (electronic) prescriptions. You can change your nomination as often as you want. To nominate contact the pharmacy of your choice and ask them to link you to their pharmacy on the NHS spine. They will need an NHS number, and address and a date of birth and they should be able to do it. Each time you do it it will automatically override the previous time. Each pharmacy should ask for a signature from you which could be a problem but most would probably do it for you on the promise of a signature when you called in to collect. (I certainly would).

 

Hope this helps.

 

NickF

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You can "nominate" any pharmacy to receive your EPS (electronic) prescriptions. You can change your nomination as often as you want. To nominate contact the pharmacy of your choice and ask them to link you to their pharmacy on the NHS spine. They will need an NHS number, and address and a date of birth and they should be able to do it. Each time you do it it will automatically override the previous time. Each pharmacy should ask for a signature from you which could be a problem but most would probably do it for you on the promise of a signature when you called in to collect. (I certainly would).

 

Hope this helps.

 

NickF

So is the patient access website mentioned above the EPS you mention. If so anyone have a link to the site.
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So is the patient access website mentioned above the EPS you mention. If so anyone have a link to the site.

To access the NHS spine and change your nominated Pharmacy you need an NHS smart card only available to healthcare professionals. So a change in nominated Pharmacy can only be done by a Pharmacy or a surgery.

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Just in case anyone uses it, you cannot have Morphine tablets on a script sent to a chemist electronically it still has to be picked up from the Drs, but liquid morphine can be sent up to a certain strength

Edited by romarni123
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I don't do any of this, I assume my doctors surgery does all this for me.

 

............Dave

I guess your surgery is doing it for you, they should strictly speaking ask for a signature each time, also I am not sure how easy it is for them to find Pharmacies that aren't local on their system. (I only have experience from the Pharmacy side not the surgery side so I guess my advice is a bit Pharmacy biased)

Just in case anyone uses it, you cannot have Morphine tablets on a script sent to a chemist electronically it still has to be picked up from the Drs, but liquid morphine can be sent

Indeed controlled drug prescriptions (including Tramadol) can not yet be sent via EPS.

 

(liquid Morphine at strengths of upto 10mg/5ml is not a controlled drug but stronger strengths are so it is not quite as straight forward as romarni123 suggests))

Edited by NickF
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To access the NHS spine and change your nominated Pharmacy you need an NHS smart card only available to healthcare professionals. So a change in nominated Pharmacy can only be done by a Pharmacy or a surgery.

All this is getting confusing. Loddon above stated he changes pharmacy or surgery for collection and it arrives in two days.

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I have never nominated a pharmacy, Patient Access lets you use the online services of your local practice. These may include arranging appointments, repeat medication, secure messages, medical record and updating your details.

https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk/account/login

All I can say is it works for me.

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The OP stated he will be a c/cruising so any advice must bear in mind different locations. Collecting from the same pharmacy will be simple with EPS but will it work for OP. Can he and others use a different pharmacy each time.

I just log on to Patient access website. Enter the repeat script section add the surgery or Pharmacy for collection click send and in two days the script is at my choice of place. All to simple really.

You add surgery or pharmacy.

I assumed you were choosing which pharmacy you wanted to collect from.

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I guess your surgery is doing it for you, they should strictly speaking ask for a signature each time, also I am not sure how easy it is for them to find Pharmacies that aren't local on their system. (I only have experience from the Pharmacy side not the surgery side so I guess my advice is a bit Pharmacy biased)

Indeed controlled drug prescriptions (including Tramadol) can not yet be sent via EPS.

 

(liquid Morphine at strengths of upto 10mg/5ml is not a controlled drug but stronger strengths are so it is not quite as straight forward as romarni123 suggests))

Have added up to a certain strength to avoid confusion

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The OP stated he will be a c/cruising so any advice must bear in mind different locations. Collecting from the same pharmacy will be simple with EPS but will it work for OP. Can he and others use a different pharmacy each time.

You add surgery or pharmacy.

I assumed you were choosing which pharmacy you wanted to collect from.

I just choose pharmacy. My GP also gives three months of meds in one go unlike some who only give one month.
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I just choose pharmacy. My GP also gives three months of meds in one go unlike some who only give one month.

Mine will only give one month at a time and refuses to give me longer even tbough the drugs I take won't harm anyone who overdoses and despite him admitting that NHS guidelines say longer prescriptions save money.

 

He will however give me two consecutive one month prescriptions!

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At last something I can contribute to, I'm a pharmacist.

Patient access is a system supplied to the practice by their chosen IT provider (EMIS), it has nothing to do with the NHS or the pharmacy.

By far the most fool proof way to do this is to take a little control yourself. Know where your going to be and call the pharmacy you want to collect your meds from (controlled drugs CANNOT be sent via EPS). Have your NHS number to hand and ask the pharmacy to be your nominated pharmacy. Once that's done THEN order your repeat prescription with your GP it'll go to the currently nominated pharmacy.

You can change this at any time you like but it's much more reliable doing it this way than by relying on the receptionists to get it right, trust me.

Joe

Edited by joe1978
  • Greenie 1
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At last something I can contribute to, I'm a pharmacist.

Patient access is a system supplied to the practice by their chosen IT provider (EMIS), it has nothing to do with the NHS or the pharmacy.

By far the most fool proof way to do this is to take a little control yourself. Know where your going to be and call the pharmacy you want to collect your meds from (controlled drugs CANNOT be sent via EPS). Have your NHS number to hand and ask the pharmacy to be your nominated pharmacy. Once that's done THEN order your repeat prescription with your GP it'll go to the currently nominated pharmacy.

You can change this at any time you like but it's much more reliable doing it this way than by relying on the receptionists to get it right, trust me.

Joe

Thanks Joe ..... That makes two of us, both Pharmacists, saying contact your chosen pharmacy with your NHS number. BEFORE ordering from your GP

  • Greenie 1
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My Doctor is not happy with changing the nominated pharmacy. He also will not give me more than one month at atime. The last time I requested a different pharmacy he told me I need to settle down and find a doctors surgery. So much for retiring and being a CC

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I get one month at a time.

 

I get to a town that I'm going to be in for a number of days. Pop into a pharmacy, register with them for EPS, they enter my details on the spine! you need NHS no and date of birth.

 

I then send in a request for prescription via 'system online' to which you have to register via your practice, two days or there abouts I collect my medication.

 

It's taken ages for this to come right. Tried all sorts before hand, upset practice manager etc. We are now reluctant friends. But this finally works.

 

Anymore info please PM.

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My Doctor is not happy with changing the nominated pharmacy. He also will not give me more than one month at atime. The last time I requested a different pharmacy he told me I need to settle down and find a doctors surgery. So much for retiring and being a CC

Your choice of pharmacy is legally yours, strictly speaking the doctor is not allowed to try and influence you.

 

 

 

As people have mentioned above get the pharmacy to do the changing not the GP ... just seems to work better.

Edited by NickF
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As Nickf rightly says GP's aren't allowed to direct you where to go. Nightwatch has it right, the practice don't necessarily care where the precipitous goes as long as they're not having to do any work.

Joe

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  • 7 months later...

All useful advice regarding collecting repeat prescriptions using EPS. However my particular Rural Practice where I am registered at the moment is not linked to the EPS system, and suggests I register with a more central Practice..... ok, but where as I am going to be a continuous cruiser. ? You might say does not matter, but for my situation, (high BP< tablets ) I need to get BP checked at my registered practice every 6 months or so. seems a cocundrum to me not quite got my head around . Any suggestions?

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