Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) enables GPs to authorise up to a year’s worth of repeat medication for patients whose repeat medicines are relatively stable. Community pharmacists can then carry out a number of checks and dispense the medicines at regular intervals, usually monthly.
77% of all prescription items are repeat prescriptions. On average, each week, a GP issues around 375 repeat medicines. eRD, where deployed successfully, can free up significant GP capacity (up to 45 minutes of GP time per day, per practice) and enable community pharmacy to manage the medicines supply chain.
eRD is not new, it has been part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework since 2005 and from 2019 has been a GMS contract requirement. However, uptake is hugely variable with many practices having never taken advantage of this technology. The highest performing practices issue 60-70% of their prescription items in this way.
The system-wide benefits of eRD are:
- A simplified, secure, reliable service for GP practices, pharmacies and patients.
- Reduces workload for prescribers allowing better prioritisation of resources.
- Supports social distancing by reducing footfall to the GP practice to order repeat prescriptions.
- Controlled management of the supply chain, reducing the number of temporarily unavailable medicines.
- Improves the data captured from prescriptions, to enable better reporting and improved medicines optimisation.
How?
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care systems were encouraged to increase rates of eRD to reduce the amount of patients visiting the GP for repeat prescriptions. To support our colleagues, the West of England AHSN worked in partnership with South West AHSN to deliver the following webinars:
Webinar one (25 June 2020): The benefits of eRD based on experience from GP and CCG colleagues:
View slides here: SW and West of England AHSN eRD Webinar part 1
Webinar two (2 July 2020): using eRD to drive effective care planning:
View slides here: SW and West of England AHSN eRD Webinar part 2
Webinar three (8 July 2020): eRD, system collaboration and eRD care homes:
View slides here: SW and West of England AHSN eRD Webinar part 3
Our fourth webinar (The benefits of eRD based on experience from GP and CCG colleagues) was a repeat of the topics covered in the first webinar.
Webinar five: (23 July 2020): eRD and community pharmacy. Please see the slides here: WM, SW and West of England AHSN eRD Webinar part 5- SLIDES
Regional workforce programme
Building on our experience of supporting Primary Care colleagues increase rates of eRD in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the West of England AHSN is now working in partnership with South West, Wessex, Oxford, Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS) AHSNs as well as the NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) to contribute to NHS England’s Regional Workforce Programme.
Our aim is to further increase eRD rates in a drive to support our GP practice colleagues work more effectively and release time spent managing repeat prescriptions. The collaboration of AHSNs will be using data provided by the NHS BSA ePACT2 system to target offers of support to practices where there may be opportunities to increase rates of eRD.
We will also be developing a series of additional resources to compliment those already detailed below:
Resources
Video resources
- ‘Patient video explaining eRD’ (3 mins)
- ‘Video outlining the process’ (3 mins)
- ‘Managing Repeats’ (1 min)
- ‘Time Savings’ (50 sec)
- ‘Making the Most of eRD’ (56 sec)
- ‘Considerations to make’ (1:57 mins)
- ‘Making Changes’ (57 sec)
- ‘Cancellations’ (30 sec)
- ‘Prescriber Benefits’ (1:06 mins)
- ‘General Advice’ (2:34 mins)
- ‘Setting up eRD in EMIS’ (3:36 mins)
- ‘Wessex eRD in Response to COVID-19’ Webinar (1:15 hours)
- ‘eRD SystmOne’ Webinar (52 mins)
Resources for Promoting eRD to Patients
- eRD Information for Patients’ NHS BSA
- ‘eRD Poster for Patients’ Wessex AHSN
- ‘eRD Patient Leaflet’ NHS BSA (order hard copies here)
- ‘Waiting Room Slides’ NHS BSA
- ‘COVID-19 Patient Letter Template’
- ‘COVID-19 Patient Email Template’
- ‘COVID-19 Patient Text Message Template’
- ‘COVID-19 Suggested Social Media Content’
Resources for GP Practices
- ‘eRD Information for GP Practices’ NHS BSA
- ‘eRD set-up guide for SystmOne’ Doncaster CCG
- ‘eRD e-learning course’ North East Commissioning Support
- ‘Benefits of eRD’ NHS BSA
- ‘eRD Patient Suitability Guide’ NHS BSA
- ‘eRD Cancelling a Prescription’ NHS BSA
- ‘eRD Pathway Guide’ NHS BSA
- ‘eRD Handbook’ Wessex AHSN/NHS BSA
- ‘Guide on Accessing EPS Utilisation Dashboard’ NHS BSA
- ‘Explaining eRD to a Patient Crib sheet’ Dorset CCG
- ‘COVID-19 eRD Quick Start Guide’ North Central London CCG
- ‘COVID-19 eRD Guidance for GP Practices’ North Central London CCG
- ‘Myth Busters: reducing barriers to implementation’ Wessex AHSN
- ‘NCL COVID-19 Electronic Repeat Dispensing Guidance for GP’
- NCL COVID-19 Electronic Repeat Dispensing Quick Start Guide – April 2020
- Update on changes to the GP contracts – October 2020
Resources for Community Pharmacies
- ‘eRD Pathway Guide’ NHS BSA
- ‘eRD Handbook’ Wessex AHSN/NHS BSA
- ‘Electronic prescription tracker guide’ NHSA BSA
- ‘Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) eRD Page’ PSNC
- ‘SOP for repeat dispensing’ National Pharmacy Association
- ‘eRD e-learning pack’ Centre for Postgraduate Phamracy Education (CPPE)
- ‘Dispenser Quick Guide’ NHS Digital
