Utilisation Key Messages
GP Practices
1)The more you use EPS the more benefits you will see
2)Share your experiences with others at networking events and meetings, find out how your peers are doing and check your utilisation figures against them and the national averages, learn about what is working well for them and consider implementing changes at your practice
3)Have an EPS expert at your site and make sure they are on hand to support others and train up new starters
4)Ensure that all staff have their Smartcards with them at all times to ensure that electronic prescriptions can be signed and sent to the nominated pharmacies
5)Organise a visit to one of your local pharmacy sites so that you can see how the end to end prescription process works
6)Gather nominations before you go live -GP Sites that have gathered over 500 nominations before going live have been able to see time saving benefits straight away
7)Keep gathering nominations even after you have gone live with EPS to ensure that the numbers continue to grow
8)Work with your local pharmacies to ensure they are speaking to patients about EPS and signing them up to nomination
9)If you have certain patients on a PCS that you think should be on EPS - make a note on the RHS of the prescription for the pharmacy to speak to them about EPS
10)Use EPS for telephone consultations, ask the patient where they would like to pick up their medication and save them a trip to the practice to collect the paper prescription
11)Start using electronic repeat dispensing - for patients already signed up to paper repeat dispensing and other patients that are on regular regimes
12)If a patient has a DAC nomination them make sure that you send the prescription electronically and don’t send an FP10 in the post
13)If a certain drug that you would like to prescribe isn’t dm+d mapped choose something similar that is (if appropriate) and let your supplier know who may be able to map it for next time
14)If a patient has a nomination in place you should always send that prescription electronically wherever possible as the patient will not be expecting to collect it from the surgery
15)Split prescriptions for drugs that cannot be sent electronically rather than sending all the items on paper prescriptions
16)Use EPS for your acute prescriptions as well as repeats and repeatable prescriptions - print a token for acute prescriptions if needed
17)Ensure nominations are not changed or removed without the patients consent
18)If the patient requests a one off paper prescription you can print this off without removing the nomination - or ask if they would prefer a token?
19)Have a post go live review and talk about the experiences and changes with your staff - what is working well, what benefits are being seen, what could work better? Invite local pharmacies.
20)Do not revert back to paper wherever possible - if pharmacy asks you to produce a paper prescription for a patient with a nomination - challenge it!
21)If you have problems give you supplier helpdesk a call they are there to help and will talk you through it
22)Download and print out any user guides and training manuals that you can have to hand when you are getting used to the system
23)Tell your local pharmacies that you are live with EPS
24)GP’s discuss EPS and set nominations during patient consultations, receptionists speak to patients at the front desk or over the phone when they are requesting prescriptions
Pharmacies
1)Gather and enter nominations on a regular basis
2)Ensure all your PCS customers have a nomination in place
3)Ensure that all staff know about EPS and can explain EPS and nomination to patients walking into the pharmacy and over the phone
4)Have a procedure in place to collect the nomination and ensure these are set on the system each day
5)Continue to gather and set nominations when you are live with EPS
6)Ensure that you have sufficient nomination forms, leaflets and posters around the pharmacy for patients to read
7)Train up your delivery drivers to explain EPS to patients and get them to sign up.
8)If a patient has a nomination in place do not ask the GP Practice to produce a paper prescription for that patient
9)Set nomination targets for your pharmacy - for example 80% of all patients nominated
10)Have a post go live review and talk about the experiences and changes with your staff - what is working well, what benefits are being seen, what could work better?
11)Invite local practices if needed
12)Have an EPS expert in the team and ensue that any new staff member or locum is trained on how to set and manage nominations and dispense electronic prescriptions
13) Ensure that staff understand the importance of having their Smartcard with them at all times to ensure that electronic prescriptions can be dispensed
-If you use locum pharmacists make sure that they have a Release 2 ready Smartcard
14)Have a list of all the practices in the area that are live with EPS to help when explaining EPS to patients.