Locating a missing EPS prescription
Published on: 16th July 2015 | Updated on: 13th January 2026
If an Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) prescription does not appear on your IT system, the steps below can help you identify where it may be and what action to take.
Steps to follow
1. Download outstanding prescriptions
Use your IT system user guide to download all outstanding prescriptions.
2. Check if the prescription downloads
If it appears on your system, prepare and dispense it as usual.
3. Check with the patient
If the prescription does not download and the patient is present, confirm whether it was sent electronically rather than printed.
4. Use the EPS Tracker
Search with the EPS Prescription Tracker using either:
- the EPS prescription ID (if the patient brings the EPS token); or
- the patient’s NHS number.
If the Tracker will not work:
Speak with your IT helpdesk. There may be local settings preventing access. You may need to move to step ten.
If the prescription is not listed on the Tracker:
Work with the GP practice to check whether it was issued on paper instead. Some items cannot be sent via EPS (for example, specific non‑dm+d specials). Community Pharmacy England has seen occasional issues at GP practices involving Smartcards, medicine database mapping, or syncing with the Personal Demographics Service, which can result in unexpected use of paper prescriptions.
5. Review the Tracker results
If the prescription is listed, you can view its current status.
6. Confirm the status and act accordingly
A. Status: ‘To be dispensed’
Copy the Prescription ID from the Tracker and paste it into your IT system to force the prescription to download from the Spine.
B. Status: ‘With dispenser’
Select the Prescription ID to view which dispensing site has downloaded it.
7. Check dispensing site information
Use the Tracker details to confirm where the prescription is currently held.
8. Tracker shows it is with your pharmacy, but it is not on your system
If the Tracker shows the prescription is with your pharmacy, but it has not downloaded, this suggests it is “stuck”. Your IT system supplier will need to release it.
While waiting, the GP practice may follow its business continuity plan and issue an EPS prescriber token so you can see the prescribed items.
If the prescription appears to require unsticking, move to step ten.
9. Tracker shows it is with another site
You may need to:
- Confirm whether the patient was expecting the medicine from that other pharmacy
This may have been their nominated pharmacy.
Or
- Support the patient if they want the prescription dispensed by you
If the other site has not already prepared the medicine, and the patient understands how EPS nomination works and wishes to use your pharmacy, contact the other dispenser. Ask if they can return the prescription to the Spine.
If they can, the Tracker will then show it as ‘To be dispensed’. You can then copy and paste the Prescription ID into your IT system to download it.
Discuss the nomination with the patient. If they choose your pharmacy in the future, update their nomination in your IT system immediately.
10. Contact IT support
If the issue cannot be resolved or you cannot access the Tracker, contact your IT support team or your IT system supplier.
Community Pharmacy England position
Once a pharmacy owner has retrieved a nominated prescription and prepared it in good faith, ready for the patient, it should not be mandatory to return it to the Spine if doing so would result in the pharmacy not being paid. Community Pharmacy England continues to discuss this with the Department of Health and Social Care.
Related resources
For more information on this topic please email comms.team@cpe.org.uk
