Updated guidance on the use of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in remote consultations has now been published by NHS Digital and shared with GP practices and other care settings that use EPS.
Nomination is still recommended to be used wherever possible and prescribers have been asked to use Phase 4 (non-nominated) prescriptions only if other options are not suitable.
If Phase 4 is used, and patients cannot collect their paper token, prescribers have been asked to either:
- provide the patient with their Prescription ID
- ensure the patient knows their NHS number or where to find it.
If a patient has their Prescription ID, this can be used to download the prescription manually using your PMR system. If they do not have their Prescription ID, the patient’s NHS Number can be used to locate the prescription ID using the EPS tracker. Guidance on how to find an EPS prescription is available on the NHS Digital website.
Nomination removes the need for patients to collect FP10s or paper tokens from their GP practice and drop them off at pharmacies. This helps to reduce face-to-face contact with healthcare professionals and supports the public to observe social distancing. You may wish to encourage your patients who do not currently have a nominated pharmacy to set one. You can do this on their behalf or they may be able to use an online service to do this themselves. Information on how to use NHS online services is available from www.nhs.uk/health-at-home