Three further grant awards have been made to digital community pharmacy system suppliers from the Community Pharmacy System Innovation Fund (CPSIF), to deliver electronic prescription services (EPS) in Wales.
The grants aim to support suppliers to develop their systems to use an electronic prescription service and receive prescriptions digitally instead of on paper, as well as supporting suppliers to “introduce innovative changes to their systems that will result in paperless dispensing and integration with the new NHS Wales app when it is launched”.
Grants have been awarded to Egton Medical Information Services (EMIS), Camascope, and Clanwilliam, who join earlier recipients, PharmacyX and TITAN PMR, announced in June.
The work to develop an EPS in primary care in Wales is a “key part” of the Digital Medicines Transformation Portfolio hosted by Digital Health and Care Wales. It is hoped that its introduction will “make the process of prescribing and dispensing medicines safer, easier and more efficient for patients and health care professionals”.
The fund remains open for applications until October 2024, with the next deadline for applications on 5 October this year. It offers three “tiers” of funding, with tier one funding to develop the changes necessary to community pharmacy systems to enable EPS; tier two funding to allow paperless processes in community pharmacies; and tier three funding to facilitate push notifications through the NHS Wales App. Successful applicants will receive up to £111,562.50 toward developing systems so pharmacies in Wales can use EPS.
Cari-Anne Quinn, chief executive officer of the Life Sciences Hub Wales, said: “This funding is a substantial milestone in the ongoing effort to modernise digital pharmacy systems in Wales. It’s encouraging to see the allocation of additional grants as the programme gains momentum. Prioritising the development of the most effective solutions is crucial for the success of this transformation, and we extend a warm welcome to all suppliers who can contribute to our ambitious yet essential mission of establishing an electronic prescription service in Wales.”
In July, we covered the publication of the Welsh government’s digital and data strategy for health and social care in Wales, which focuses on using technology to optimise care provision and drive forward change.
Also in Wales, last month it was announced that live testing of a new EPS was about to begin, hailed as an “exciting milestone” in the way prescriptions are issued in primary care across Wales.
