EPS and Controlled Drugs

Standard operating procedures can reflect that Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 controlled drugs can be prescribed through EPS.

Points to consider:

1. Controlled drugs and non-controlled drugs may appear together on the same EPS prescription.
2. Best practice applies for recording the details of the person collecting a controlled drug. You can use an EPS dispensing token (FP10DT) for this, and these tokens can be sent to the Pricing Authority.
3. You must agree a suitable method for marking the prescription at the time of supply so that you meet the Misuse of Drugs Regulations. A dispense notification may meet this need. Depending on your local setup, you may instead need an IT system supplier process that records the date and leaves a clear electronic audit trail – which may happen automatically depending on your setup and process.

Read more below about instalment dispensing and liquid methadone.

Instalment dispensing and liquid methadone issues

EPS cannot currently support instalment dispensing (FP10MDA). Because of this, prescribers must not issue oral liquid methadone through EPS.

There are no changes to the paper FP10MDA instalment process.

Changes in legislation

EPS CDs came in back in 2015: Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 controlled drugs became allowed on EPS. These prescriptions still needed to meet all usual writing requirements, including showing the total quantity in words and figures.

Community Pharmacy England recommended removing this requirement for electronic prescriptions, but the Home Office continues to retain this requirement for the time being.

Technical changes

NHS IT teams set out the technical requirements needed for GP and pharmacy systems to support EPS controlled drug prescribing. All dispensing systems can now receive and process EPS controlled drug prescriptions.

For information about electronic controlled drug registers, see the Electronic CD registers section on our supplier lists webpage.

You can also use the usual EPS escalation routes for any EPS-related issues.

Read Community Pharmacy England’s EPS controlled drugs FAQs factsheet.

Q. Is EPS controlled drug prescribing limited to GP practices?
No. EPS controlled drug prescribing has been allowed since 2015. It can be used wherever the prescriber’s system supports it (see EPS and other settings). Different prescriber types have different rights — for example, doctors and nurse independent prescribers can prescribe controlled drugs. EPS systems incorporate the prescriber type to support correct prescribing.

Q. Are ‘words and figures’ required on my IT system screen for Release 1 barcoded paper prescriptions?
For Release 1 paper prescriptions, the legal prescription is the paper form itself. Words and figures must appear on that paper copy, not necessarily on your IT system screen. Some systems may display them, but this is not legally required.

Q. Can a prescriber issue an FP10MDA instalment prescription electronically?
No. Only Schedule 2 controlled drugs, plus buprenorphine, buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) and diazepam can be prescribed in instalments on FP10MDA. While Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 controlled drugs can be sent through EPS, there is currently no EPS version of FP10MDA. Instalment supplies must still use paper FP10MDA forms.

Q. Do dispense and claim notifications for Schedule 2 or three controlled drugs prescribed via EPS need to be sent within twenty-eight days?
By law, these medicines must be dispensed within twenty-eight days of the appropriate date. However, for reimbursement, you may submit dispense and claim messages after twenty-eight days if technical or other issues prevented earlier claiming, as long as the supply itself was made within the legal period. Your IT system supplier may warn you when a controlled drug prescription is close to its twenty-eight-day deadline.

Q. What if I receive an EPS prescription for oral liquid methadone?
GP practices should not prescribe liquid methadone through EPS. If this happens, the pharmacy owner may need to request a paper prescription. Although liquid methadone can be claimed, some IT system suppliers have not yet enabled the PD endorsement, so paper FP10 or FP10MDA may be more appropriate.