Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) is a way of supporting efficiency within GP practices and community pharmacies, whilst also creating benefits for the patient. Our work to support the wider deployment of eRD was prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic, to reduce footfall into GP practices and pharmacies, create efficiencies and provide an easily accessible supply of medication for patients. 

Solutions / actions taken

Two-thirds of prescriptions issued in primary care are repeat prescriptions. Nationally, 410 million repeat prescriptions are generated every year – equivalent to an average of more than 375 per GP per week. If prescription requests are processed every month by the GP practice, this takes a large amount of time both for the GP practice staff and the patient. When patients are on multiple, regular medications for long-term conditions the repeat prescription process can feel difficult and stressful to navigate.  

The community pharmacy workforce is highlighted as a key element to improve integrated services for patients in the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan and using community pharmacy services effectively will improve processes, create efficiencies and support greater access for patients.  

eRD allows up to twelve months of repeat prescriptions to be issued electronically and is suitable for patients who are stable on their regular medication. All issues of the eRD prescriptions are stored securely on the NHS Spine (a digital central point allowing key NHS online services) and automatically downloads them to the patient's nominated community pharmacy when their next prescription is due.

eRD is recommended in the GP forward view as a digital workforce solution as it provides greater efficiency for GP practices, community pharmacy and patients.

GP practice benefits of eRD:

• Reduced GP practice workload – batches of repeat prescriptions can be authorised just once for up to 12 months of issues thereby reducing prescription administration time.
• eRD simplifies the repeat prescribing process.
• Releases GP practice time by reducing footfall and prescription related queries.
• If necessary, non-dispensed eRD prescriptions can be cancelled electronically at any time by the prescriber.

Patient benefits of eRD:

• Patients can obtain their medication more efficiently because there is no need to request a prescription from the GP surgery and wait for the request to be processed.
• Retains and enhances the long-term relationship with community pharmacy. When the patient collects the prescription, the community pharmacy is responsible for ensuring that patient circumstances have not changed since the previous issue.
• The patient can request their medication supply earlier directly from their pharmacy in specific circumstances.

 Community Pharmacy benefits:

• Repeat dispensing is an essential service within the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. All community pharmacies can dispense repeat prescriptions.
• eRD improves stock control. eRD prescriptions can be downloaded 7 days in advance by the pharmacy allowing items to be ordered in advance.
• Improves community pharmacy efficiency and gives a more predictable workload.
• Medicines wastage can be reduced as pharmacy staff are required to check with patients if all prescription items are needed, before each issue.
• Reduces time-spent by pharmacy staff liaising with GP practices to obtain repeat prescriptions.

Impacts and outcomes from the project

• As part of a joint campaign with MLCSU, AGEMCSU and both the East Midlands and West Midlands AHSNs, we engaged with over 1,000 Midlands health and care professionals to encourage the adoption of eRD
• Following this campaign, in the East Midlands, there was a 78% increase in patients receiving their prescriptions via eRD (February-July 2020). In July, three months after the intervention, there were 47,000 patients across the East Midlands enrolled in eRD
• Between February and July 2020 there was an increase of 107,033 eRD items, equating to a 44% increase compared to a national increase of 17%, over the same period.