With 2672 R2 enabled pharmacies and 57 R2 enabled doctors practices now ready to issue and dispense electronic prescriptions, it really does look like this long awaited development could really be nationally implemented this year. (Figures at 14th December 2011)
The January 2012 PSNC Newsletter carried an excellent 4 page article concerning the many aspects of implementing the service that community pharmacists need to consider. This is well worth reading and keeping for future reference.
The Connecting for Health web site should be visited regularly by pharmacists to check both the dispensing and prescribing systems suppliers status, so that the local situation can be evaluated as it develops.
On the dispensing systems side, most suppliers are ready for a national roll out now. 2 of the 7 system suppliers available to independents are quoted on the CFH site as being ready for clinical release by Q2 this year, so all suppliers should be ready by mid-year.
The PSNC article mentioned above offers good advice on selecting a system supplier, notably the recognition of the importance of the software system to each pharmacy.
In my own view, any pharmacist considering changing PMR systems needs to research the market thoroughly, and then make an early decision to change and get on with it, or to stay put. Changing software systems midway through the EPS implementation would just make the task of implementing EPS harder for staff and pharmacists alike than it really needs to be.