Published: 10/06/22

Summary

This circular provides NHS Boards, prescribers and community pharmacy contractors with an update on progress and developments with regard to the GP IT Re-provisioning Programme and the support of the Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions (ETP) via the Acute Medication Service (AMS) for all non-medical prescribers working in GP Practices.

Background

NHS Circular PCA(P)(2007)5 provided an update on the introduction of ETP via AMS.

Details

Prescribing Locations

Prescribing systems in GP practices will start to allow support for all non-medical prescribers to issue and print a barcoded prescription form and submit an electronic version via ETP.

The introduction of AMS will be implemented in a phased manner from June 2022, initially for GP practices using Cegedim’s Vision system. Prescribers should start using the guidance in this circular once their NHS Board has confirmed that their GP IT system has been updated to allow AMS prescribing for all prescriber roles.

Non-medical prescriber user roles to support AMS prescribing will need to be activated by the GP IT supplier and in the GP IT system at the practice. Where this is required, system suppliers and NHS Boards will issue separate guidance to GP practices.

The change includes introducing support for use of single sheet stationery GP10(SS)(5) form type currently used by GPs to cover Pharmacist Independent Prescribers (PIPs) and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in the first instance.

Nurse prescribers should continue to use GP10N(SS)(5) stationery until they are advised to change to single sheet stationery GP10(SS)(5).

Where a prescription has been generated, the prescriber code, prescriber role, professional body and professional registration number appears on the printed form and in the electronic message.

The printed GP10(SS)(5) and GP10N(SS)(5) prescription forms include a barcode and a Unique Prescription Number (UPN) printed underneath the barcode. The electronic message includes the virtual form type. Dispensers can use the prescriber’s professional body / role printed on the form to select the form type, if required, within the Patient Medication Record (PMR) system (see Appendix).

Prescribing where a prescription pad is used is unaffected.

Medicines: Care & Review (MCR) serial prescriptions for nurse independent prescriber and pharmacist independent prescriber roles will be supported when updates to processing and payment applications have been implemented.

Pharmacy Locations

The expansion of both AMS and MCR to additional prescriber groups affects community pharmacy systems, as well as GP IT systems. As a result, implementation needs to be co-ordinated so that the IT applications (AMS and MCR) required to underpin and support service delivery in both GP IT and community pharmacy PMR systems are available at the appropriate time.

Some pharmacy system suppliers may inform their community pharmacy contractors on how they should initially process prescriptions from non-medical prescribers. Where this is required, pharmacy system suppliers will issue separate guidance.

Community Pharmacy contractors will be reimbursed if non-medical prescribers accidently print on the wrong form type without the need to request a new prescription.

AMS prescriptions issued by non-medical prescribers will be included in the Service Efficiency payment calculation for community pharmacy contractors at a future date.