NHIS Update to Nottinghamshire LPC–10 April 2015

Local Deployment Update

The total GP Practices live across Nottinghamshire =72Practices.The percentage of GP Practices live across Nottinghamshire is 49%. A number of Dispensing Practices have expressed an interest in EPS howeverthe EPS software is currently only compatible with non-dispensing patients. Church Street (11b) Eastwood are a Dispensing practice and have requested an EPS go live but the Practice use a separate dispensing system to the practice system and they are aware that they will need robust processes in place for EPS to be a success. All the available go live slots up until the end of September have been taken. Planning is currently taking place for October and November.

Confirmed go Lives

WoodlandsMA15/04/2015

Sherrington ParkC30/04/2015

Castle HealthcareR13/05/2015

ElmswoodC25/06/2015

RuddingtonR30/06/2015

Rise Park SurgeryC01/07/2015

BramcoteNW09/07/2015

Boulevard SurgeryC15/07/2015

Beechdale SurgeryC15/07/2015

Church StreetNW21/07/2015

ParksideC29/07/2015

Bull FarmMA05/08/2015

St PetersMA06/08/2015

Church WalkNW17/09/2015

Derby RoadC24/09/2015

Grange FarmC30/09/2015

Demonstrations Booked/Completed March

ParksideC

Demonstrations Requested

University ParkC

Family Medical CentreM&A

St GeorgesR

PeacockNNE

ParksideC

Mapperley ParkC

Victoria & MapperleyC

Greenwood & SneintonC

CCGS:

C – City, MA – Mansfield & Ashfield, NNE – Nottingham North and East, NS – Newark & Sherwood, NW – Nottingham West, R – Rushcliffe

National Deployment Update

26 March 2015 - Controlled Drugs Consultation Outcome

On 24 March 2015, the Department of Healthpublished the outcomeof its public consultation regarding proposals to enable the electronic prescribing of Schedules 2 and 3 controlled drugs (CDs).
The outcome of the consultation was positive:

  • 96.3% of respondents said that NHS prescriptions for Schedules 2 and 3 CDs should be enabled to be prescribed electronically. In England this will be via EPS;
  • 74.2% of respondents said that privately prescribed Schedules 2 and 3 CDs should be enabled to be prescribed and transmitted electronically. Further, 67.6% felt this should be via the EPS (in England);
  • 68.3% of respondents said that it should be a requirement to record the total quantity of Schedules 2 and 3 CDs in words and figures on electronic prescriptions, as is required for paper prescriptions;
  • No significant negative impacts or equality issues were put forward which may affect any group or sector.

The report's conclusion states that the Department of Health:

"will be making changes … to allow NHS and private prescriptions, including instalment prescriptions for Schedules 2 and 3 CDs, to be signed with an Advanced Electronic Signature and sent electronically via the EPS, with its extra security.

Further, it will be a requirement for the total quantity of Schedules 2 and 3 CDs to be dispensed to be recorded in words and figures on electronic prescription forms, including instalment prescriptions."

Smartcard Update - CIS is now live

The work to deliver the Care Identity Service has now been completed. If organisations experience any service difficulties they should use their existing support route to report the problem.

Users should be aware that there are issues with old series Smartcards and you will not be able to renew certificates when they expire or unlock the card should it become locked. Please look at the back of your Smartcard (in the bottom right hand corner on the back) and if the first two numbers are 01, 02 or 03 you should contact your local Registration Authority staff to request a new card. There is also a known issue with some 04 Smartcards not working with the latest version of the GEM software. If the numbers are 05 or 06 you do not have to take any action.

Following the transition to CIS it is recommended that youtalk to your RegistrationAuthority (RA) staff about having a Local Smartcard Administrator in your pharmacy (a person assigned with the role B0263 on their Smartcard), to assist with unlocking and certificate renewal. RA staff can also advise about Short Term Access Cards. For more details on the CIS switchover, visit the CIS websiteor talk to your Registration Authority staff.

Prescription Tracker Upgrade

A reminder that a new updated version of the EPS Prescription Tracker is now available and allows users to enter a prescription ID and find out where a prescription is in the process. It is now also possible to search by NHS number and date range. The tracker will confirm if the prescription has left the prescribing site, if it has reached the Spine or if it has been delivered to a dispensing site. Pharmacies do not need to contact the prescribing GP Practice for the prescription barcode numbers, as these are now available via the Prescription Tracker.

Accessing the tracker is via your PC and Smartcard; the following link can be clicked or pasted into your web browser: The Pprescription Tracker Factsheetis available at

Your system must meet the following requirements for the tool to work correctly:

  • Internet Explorer 7.0 or 8.0
  • Screen resolution 1024 x 768 pixels or higher
  • NHS NCRS Smartcard Reader
  • NHS Identity Agent v11 or higher
  • NHS Network (N3) Connectivity

If you experience any problems with the tracker you should contact your EPS System Supplier. If necessary, your system supplier will contact the National Service Desk.

Not dispensed' or 'Returned to Spine'

Pharmacists are being asked to ensure that they and their staff clearly understand the difference between marking a prescription as 'not dispensed' and 'returning it to the Spine.' If a prescription is marked as 'not dispensed', it can't be dispensed by any other pharmacy and the GP can't cancel it. The item/s will not be removed from the patient’s record and will still show in the prescribing system.

Returning a prescription to the Spine is different and can be considered the same as handing a paper prescription back to the patient to be dispensed elsewhere. More details available on the HSCIC EPS website (FAQs D, E and F).

National Figures

Figures at 23 March 2015 / Mar 15 / Feb 15 / Dec 14 / Sep 14
GP Business Live / 4036 / 3,665 / 3,364 / 2,717
Pharmacy Business Live / 11,432 / 11,389 / 11,318 / 11,190
Release 2 prescriptions sent / 80,416,646 / 70,043,184 / 58,879,497 / 42,004,187
Items dispensed and claimed / 184,087,017 / 160,553,256 / 135,061,002 / 96,572,445
Nominations set / 14,047,922 / 13,634,456 / 12,664,862 / 9,948,608
Average live site usage / 34% / 36% / 37% / 35%

EPS Release 2 Update

  • The EPS Manager for Nottinghamshire is Michelle Peet who can be contacted via or on 07540 672938.
  • HSCIC has produced a pharmacy leaflet, which contains useful information on EPS and is available at
  • HSCIC provides a weekly update on all EPS Release 2 deployments, this can be accessed via
  • An interesting EPS case study by Vantage Pharmacy, Rotherham is available at
  • HSCIC has some useful information and frequently asked questions about Repeat Dispensing at
  • A nomination factsheet is available at
  • HSCIC ‘Don’t wait, nominate’ is a factsheet with advice and helpful tips on nomination
  • The NHS Business Services Authority has produced a useful hints and tips for Dispensing Contractors and is available at _Issue_18_(final).pdf
  • IT troubleshooting guide for pharmacy systems

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