Preparing for EPS2

LPC AGM

Haider Al-ShamaryEPS Project Manager

Where is EPS used?

• GP practices (including dispensing practices)

• Community pharmacies

• Dispensing Appliance Contractors (DACs)

Electronic Signatures

Electronic cancellation

Electronic submission of reimbursement endorsements

Release 2 overview

NominationElectronic repeatdispensing

Key benefits Greater convenience

Increased freedom of choice

Reduced waiting times in the pharmacy

Electronic batch signing of scripts by GPs

Easier to use repeat dispensing

Greater efficiency and control

Reduced footfall

No lost scripts- prescription tracker

Greater efficiency/Streamlined workflow

Easier month end processing

Reduced collection of paper scripts

Patients

Prescribers/Prescription Clerks

Dispensers

Pharmacy

readiness

John Hampson, GPGreen Mount Medical Centre, Bury

“The key to success has been our close relationship with our community pharmacy colleagues. Traditionally we haven't spoken to them frequently but we have a number of meetings with them and we've come to understand each others' processes a lot better."

Processes for pharmacy staff

Site preparation

• Release 1 usage – PDS synch

• Order dispensing tokens

• Printing capability (2nd tray for dispensing tokens)

• System training / SOPs

• Smartcards -expired or don’t remember the pincode - email to

Swindon office to be reset, with a covering note clearly explaining why

the cards have been returned, and where they have to be sent.

• Any staff that have an EPS01 card will need to complete the RA01 to

be upgraded to EPS R2. They will not be required to present ID as

they have already done this.

• The sponsor will be responsible for authorising the access rights.

Key processes to consider before go live at the pharmacy

• Approach to capturing nominations

• Electronic Cancellation

• Dispensing and downloading electronic prescriptions

• Dispensing tokens

• Electronic endorsement and patient declarations

• Electronic claims

• End of month processes

Approach to capturing nominations

• Who will capture nominations in the pharmacy?

• Consider patients who have delivery service

• Consider process for inputting the nominations onto

the system

• How will you communicate with patients?

Dispensing and downloading electronic prescriptions

• Consider process for requesting prescriptions

(frequency/responsibility)

– Overnight download

– Requesting throughout the day

• When will you send dispense notifications?

• Clinical information from the prescriber needs to be

communicated to the patient – how will you do this?

Dispensing tokens

• Ensure dispensing token stationery has been received

• Use of dispensing token for:

– capturing signatures for payment/exemption declaration

– giving to a patient who needs to go to a different

pharmacy to collect their medication

– aiding with dispensing process

Electronic cancellation

• Ensure all staff are aware of electronic cancellation

• What do cancelled prescriptions look like in the system?

• Consider a local process for returning prescriptions to

the spine if a GP practice advises they wish to cancel a

prescription after it had been downloaded in the

pharmacy

Electronic endorsements and patient declarations

• Ensure all staff are aware of capturing patient declarations

and ensure they are recorded on the system

• Capture patient signatures on the reverse of tokens

• Electronic prescriptions must be electronically endorsed.

Paper prescriptions must be endorsed and submitted in

the usual way

• Do not handwrite endorsements on tokens, these will not

be used for pricing

• Ensure electronic exemptions are correct before sending

Electronic claims

• All electronic prescriptions must be claimed for electronically

• An electronic claim can only be sent once the prescription has

been completed; items should be marked as either ‘dispensed’

or ‘not dispensed’

• Consider when you will be submitting electronic claims

on patient collection, end of day, in batches, weekly

• Once an electronic claim has been sent to NHS BSA

Prescription Services, it cannot be amended or cancelled

• One FP34C form must be completed and submitted to the

NHS BSA Prescription Services to cover both paper and

electronic prescriptions• The NHSBSA has a new “ask us” facility on their website in the

EPS section• https://nhsuk.epticahosting.com/selfnhsukokb/template-

group.do?name=NHS+Prescription+Services&id=5201

 Understand month end process in relation to tokens

Signed tokens need to be separated from the FP10 paper

prescriptions at the end of each month and sent to the NHS

BSA Prescription Services

Age exempt patient tokens to confidential waste

End of month Processes

"We have found that EPS has reduced the risk of labelling errors and has meant that we often receive repeat prescriptions earlier."

Gary Warner, Pharmacist, Regent Pharmacy, Isle of Wight

Business

Continuity

Business continuity and troubleshooting

• Ensure local processes are in place to continue dispensing

process if EPS becomes unavailable either nationally or

locally

• How are you going to work if:

– A patient’s prescription does not arrive at the dispenser

site straight away?

– GP system is unavailable?

– Dispenser system is unavailable?

– EPS is unavailable nationally?

Business continuity and troubleshooting• Surgery to pharmacy / pharmacy to surgery contact

• Know who to contact for hardware support

• Know who to contact for software support

• Sign up for alerts:

http://nww.hscic.gov.uk/servicemanagement/status/subscribe

• Prescription Tracker:

https://nww.spine2.ncrs.nhs.uk/prescriptionsadmin/

Smartcard status:

http://nww.hscic.gov.uk/eps/cardexaminer/start.html

Ensure you know how to log calls to your supplier and know

their escalation procedures

Pharmacy: Escalation procedures should be obtained from

your supplier. It is important to:

– Keep a log of calls made, ref numbers and time to resolve

– Follow up and escalation

Raising support calls

Training and Support

Training and Support

• Plan training in advance of going live or in pharmacy case before your local GP practice goes live

• Consider the best time to undertake EPS training

• Consider what kind of training will work best in the GP practice/pharmacy

Patient

Communication

Patient communication

Patients should be fully informed:

1. Nomination is not mandatory

2. No need to collect paper prescription from the GP practice

3. Patient can choose where they wish to nominate

4. Nomination is flexible and can be changed or removed by their GP or any EPS2 pharmacy

5. Not restricted to nominating a pharmacy close to the GP practice

Planned implementation dates and next

steps

ww

w.h

scic

.go

v.u

k/ep

sgp

fact

shee

ts

Go-Live Dates – Oct/NovQuedgeley Medical Centre Gloucester Dr Siva 14/10/2014

Cam and Uley Family Practice Stroud Ian Cawthorne 15/10/2014College Yard Surgery Gloucester Dr Atkinson 16/10/2014

Rowcroft Medical Centre Stroud Janice Anderson 21/10/2014Hadwen Medical Practice Gloucester Ian Roberston 22/10/2014

Churchdown Surgery Gloucester Trudy Morris 23/10/2014

Watledge Surgery Tewkesbury Angela Lynch 28/10/2014Jesmond House Tewkesbury Bridget Derrett 29/10/2014

Church St. Surgery TewkesburyDeborah Matson-

Beale 30/10/2014

Overton Park Surgery Cheltenham Jayne Folwarski 03/11/2014Underwood Surgery Cheltenham Fred Whalley 04/11/2014

Leckhampton Surgery Cheltenham Sue Careswell 06/11/2014

Corinthian Surgery Cheltenham Linda O'Hara 10/11/2014St. George’s Surgery Cheltenham Paul Keen 11/11/2014

Crescent Bakery Surgery Cheltenham Wendy Gasson 11/11/2014Portland Practice Cheltenham Laurella Parffrey 13/11/2014

Stoke Road Surgery Cheltenham Lester Pygott 17/11/2014Berkeley Place Surgery Cheltenham Rob Noel 18/11/2014

Yorkleigh Surgery Cheltenham Caroline Cole 20/11/2014

Rosebank Surgery Gloucester Wyndham Parry 24/11/2014Pavilion Family Doctors Gloucester Julie Rudd 25/11/2014London Medical Practice Gloucester Beverly Lewis 27/11/2014

Questions?