Pharmacists are having difficulties upgrading to the electronic prescription service (EPS) release two, C+D has learned, with 90 per cent of readers polled saying the switch to the new system had been "problematic".

Only five out of the 50 respondents to the C+D website poll agreed the upgrade to EPS release two had been problem-free.

Jignesh Patel of Rohpharm pharmacy, Plaistow, told C+D that although the move to the new system had gone well, switching early had caused confusion for some patients whose GPs had not yet upgraded. "Because GPs are not ready, when patients are signed up and start asking about their electronic prescriptions, we have to tell them to go back and check at their GP practice to find out what's happening," he explained.

The comments follow warnings from system suppliers that contractors should not delay their upgrades waiting for GPs to roll out the new system. "It is our belief that the GP systems are not as far behind as some people think and could arrive much sooner than they expect," said Martin Jones, commercial manager of Positive Solutions. "Any pharmacy that hangs back until the last minute is likely to find that a significant proportion of their patient base has been lobbied by somebody else."

But Barrie Smith, professional services manager at pharmacy chain Paydens, argued that EPS release two had resulted in "GPs getting the gain while pharmacists got the pain".

"We don't get the same training as GPs," he said. "They all get to sit around drinking tea, eating sandwiches and listening to talks on EPS, while all we get is instruction manuals and a video."

But suppliers stressed that they had given comprehensive training to pharmacists upgrading to release two.

Cegedim Rx told C+D it gave users a three-step training programme, which included an interactive webinar, and Positive Solutions said its training, including a series of training videos, enabled users to learn "in small, bite-size chunks". Meanwhile RX Systems said it provided users with "comprehensive training materials" and "e-learning tools", and AAH told C+D it provided both a training manual and "dedicated" team of trainers.

Cegedim Rx reported earlier this month that it expected the majority of its customers to be upgraded by 2012, while other suppliers said a fifth of their users had already upgraded to release two.

For more news on EPS release two visit the C+D IT Zone.

Have you deployed EPS release two? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on TwitterLinkedIn and Facebook