Pharmacies in England to start issuing NHS electronic prescriptions

NHS England has signed a contract with CLEO Systems for a stand-alone electronic prescribing solution, to be rolled out across pharmacies participating in the Independent Prescribing in Community Pharmacy Pathfinder Programme.

The aim of the Pathfinder programme is to support independent prescribing for patients in primary care, in preparation for September 2026 when all newly qualified pharmacists will be registered as independent prescribers. It is the first programme to nationally fund pharmacists to use their independent prescribing qualification.

Up to 210 community pharmacy sites, which volunteered to participate in the Pathfinder programme, across the 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) in England will be able to issue electronic prescriptions for minor illnesses using the the CLEO SOLO electronic prescribing system (EPS).

ICBs have approved 13 pathfinder clinical models to cover a range of treatments including minor ailments, hypertension, respiratory, contraception, cardiovascular disease/lipids, dermatology, prescription management, antidepressant review, deprescribing, women’s health, long-term care management, anticoagulation and sexual health.

CLEO Systems has worked with NHS England to specify and test the solution, including the testing of clinical models.

Richard Burton, commercial director at CLEO Systems, said: “We are delighted to be working with NHS England, the ICBs, other system providers and pharmacies on this significant programme.

“This is an exciting project for us at CLEO Systems and we are looking forward now to providing the technology that will enable pharmacists to prescribe in the community, and to monitor the positive impact on the health system and on patient experience”.

CLEO SOLO EPS digitises the process of creating FP10 prescriptions and is achieving benefits for users where it has been deployed, including an improved patient experience as well as the eradication of lost, stolen and illegible scripts, which in turn enhances patient safety.

In November 2023, CLEO SOLO EPS was implemented at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, East London NHS Foundation Trust and North East London NHS Foundation Trust, with Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust trialling the solution.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is the latest to have gone live with CLEO SOLO EPS in July 2024,  following the signing of a three-year contract.