Boots has become the second pharmacy system supplier to develop and test the technology needed to support the delivery of an electronic prescription service in Wales.

The system has started its testing phase, which is due to be completed early in 2024. If testing is successful, it will be introduced in Boots stores across Wales as part of the phased roll-out of EPS. 

The introduction of EPS across Wales is a key part of the Digital Medicines Transformation Portfolio and will make the process of prescribing and dispensing medicines safer, easier and more efficient for patients and healthcare professionals, says NHS Wales. It will also save up to 40 million paper prescription forms from being printed each year.

The first sites to use EPS went live in November using EMIS Group’s GP system and the Titan pharmacy system from Invatech. The service is currently being tested with patients in Rhyl, Denbighshire, at Lakeside Medical Centre and Wellington Road Pharmacy.

Jenny Pugh-Jones, senior responsible owner of the Primary Care Electronic Prescription Service programme, said: “It is really exciting to see that we are already moving into the testing phase with Boots as our second pharmacy system supplier to enable EPS across Wales.”

Jenny Rose, director of stores for Wales, Merseyside and West Midlands at Boots, said: “Electronic prescriptions will make it easier and safer for patients to access the medicines they need and will make life easier for GP surgeries and pharmacy teams too. [We] hope to roll out EPS to all our Wales stores in the near future.”