Contractors in Wales have been reminded of the need to log into their electronic NHS alerts service (ENAS) account on a daily basis to avoid possible financial penalties.

Local health boards in Wales were monitoring pharmacy contractors' compliance with the system now that it was in full operation, the NHS Wales Information service warned.

The service allows NHS alerts to be distributed to community pharmacies in Wales electronically via a secure, approved email address.

Pharmacies needed to access their email accounts daily to ensure patient safety and should have an SOP in place to cover account use, the NHS Wales Information Service said.

Any alerts delivered through the system should be treated as confidential in the same way paper-based alerts would be. In addition, pharmacists in Wales were reminded of the need to order 2D functionality from their system supplier by September 30.

Non-compliance with these requirements could result in withdrawal of pharmacy's £200 monthly IM&T payments, the NHS Wales information service said.

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