Notifications to pharmacy systems
Published on: 7th August 2020 | Updated on: 2nd July 2026
The volume and frequency of digital notifications between clinical systems has been increasing during recent years and this trend is anticipated to continue.
Such notifications can include updates being sent from GP practice systems and other care settings to pharmacy systems.
These notifications aim to:
- Improve patient experience;
- Support safer, more joined-up care; and
- Deliver wider health benefits across the NHS.
Standards continue to be developed to support this. The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has worked with NHS England, Community Pharmacy England, and clinicians across primary care to agree how information should be shared between systems. Further standards work may follow as digital services continue to develop.
Find out more about the standards for computable dose instructions and how they support safer prescribing and dispensing:
IT system suppliers may build these standards into their systems to support communication between different parts of the NHS.
This includes notifications for:
- Signposting patients to services;
- Referrals between care settings (including Booking and Referral Standard (BaRS)); and
- Appointment booking and management.
Read more in the ‘Scheduling and appointments’ section of the Technical requirements webpage.
For more information on this topic please email it@cpe.org.uk
