Pathfinder pharmacies set to start generating electronic NHS prescriptions
Newly procured electronic prescription technology will allow hundreds of community pharmacies to generate NHS prescriptions and “start delivering” new clinical services, NHS England (NHSE) has revealed).
Some 210 “pathfinder” community pharmacies sites are set to “generate prescriptions via the NHS Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)”, NHSE yesterday (August 29) revealed.
Last August, NHSE launched a “pathfinder programme” for independent prescribing in community pharmacy across all 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) in England.
At the time, it said that the funded programme would test “different prescribing models” with a view to creating a commissioning “framework” for independent prescribing in community pharmacies.
The move comes ahead of September 2026, when all newly qualified pharmacists will be independent prescribers on the day of their registration.
Now, in a joint letter to regional pharmacy officials, NHSE chief pharmaceutical officer David Webb and community pharmacy director Ali Sparke have announced that NHSE has procured a “clinical system” which will allow the pathfinder sites to “generate prescriptions” via EPS.
“Start delivering clinical services”
“We are pleased to inform you that we can now start to roll out this system – CLEO SOLO from Cleo System – to pathfinder sites so they can start delivering their clinical services,” the letter said.
It added that the services will comes under “three main groupings: existing commissioned services such as acute minor illness; long-term conditions such as heart and respiratory disease” and “in a small number of ICBs” deprescribing, antidepressant medication reviews and menopause services.
C+D understands that the NHSE is still testing the system will be rolling it out in the coming months.
“We have notified Integrated Care Board (ICB) community pharmacy leads of this development and will be working with them regarding the next steps of the CLEO SOLO rollout, including a series of webinars with ICBs”.
Meanwhile, the pharmacy union last week warned against apparent proposals to make DPP supervision “a routine responsibility” and part of a pharmacist’s “normal job without considering job evaluation or pay”.
And C+D revealed earlier this month that individual IP trainees have been asked to pay between £2,500 and £3,000 for their own DPP.
