INTRODUCTION
The Digital prescription provides patients a view of their ‘active’ EPS prescriptions via
the NHS App, consisting of:
- Prescription barcode
- Prescription ID
- Items on the prescription (Drug name, strength, form and quantity)
- Prescriber details
- Nominated pharmacy details (where applicable)
One prescription may hold up to 4 items (individual medicines). If the patient is prescribed more than 4 medicines, the system will automatically generate the number of prescriptions required. E.g. a user with 7 medicines to collect will have 1 prescription with 4 items on, and another prescription with 3 further items on.
Once the prescription is accepted by a pharmacy to fulfil, the prescription cannot be taken elsewhere. So once a barcode has been scanned and accepted by the pharmacy, that same barcode cannot be scanned elsewhere.
This functionality will not be available for users of the NHS App that are looking at information regarding their proxy. This may be altered in the future.
This functionality currently only covers repeat and acute medications
FAQ's:
(NB - "PfP" stands for "Prescriptions for Patients")
Why are there multiple barcodes? (if over 4 items, it's spread over 2 prescriptions etc)
Patient could have multiple prescriptions (if on many individual medications) and so there could be multiple barcodes surfaced in the App.
Guidance on how the Pharmacies use the barcodes (for example, they need to scan them, and then what etc)
Pharmacies, if they have compatible scanners, could use the displayed barcode on the patient's phone to scan and attempt to download (or locate the prescription on their system).
If no compatible scanners, then reading the barcode out and manually inputting into
the pharmacy system to download/locate the prescription.
What happens if not all items on a prescription are in stock in the Pharmacy? (will a new barcode be issued? what else will happen?)
The PfP does not change normal business process. If the pharmacy does not have all the items, the options usually are: -
- Give the patient an owing for the items to collect when item come into stock.
- Return the whole prescription to spine for the patient to get elsewhere (this retains the same barcode but removes the nomination on that prescription)
- Mark the item as Not Dispensed but provide other items (if more than 1 item on) - ask GP to reissue different item/new prescriptions (this would generate a new barcode which would be eventually seen in the app).
- (The pharmacist will normally advise if you need to go to another pharmacy)