Detained estate EPS prescribing: medicines supply process update
NHS England is updating the process for supplying medicines when people leave prison. The changes, aims to improve continuity of care and reduce pressure on community pharmacies and GP practices during a patient’s first days and weeks back in the community.
Following the updated process, most people leaving prison will now be issued with a 28-day prescription, normally sent via EPS without a nomination in place, and will be able to keep the remaining medicines they already hold. This replaces the previous intention that prison healthcare teams would supply seven days’ worth of medication on release — something that often proved challenging when individuals moved rapidly through the discharge pathway.
This change, with the 28-day prescription encouraged, should mean that people arrive at community pharmacies with more time and less urgency, reducing avoidable pressure on pharmacy teams and enabling safer, more supportive care. Patients with short-term sentences who wish to keep their EPS nomination may be able to do so.
The refined approach has been developed by the Health and Justice Information Services (HJIS) team within NHS England. It builds on the recent expansion of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) across the detained estate, which means pharmacies are increasingly seeing prescriptions issued from prisons, young offender institutions and other secure settings.
Why is the process being refined? What has changed?
Previously, each person leaving prison should have ideally have received a seven-day supply directly from prison prescribers. This increased the risk to continuity of care after the seven day period leaving GPs and community pharmacies needing to respond to urgent requests from patients in need of ongoing treatment..
The revised 28-day prescription model has been designed to:
- Give people enough time to register with a GP and obtain follow-on prescriptions.
- Reduce immediate demand on community pharmacies and offer more predictable dispensing workloads.
- Support safer handover of medicines at a vulnerable transition point between secured and public settings.
What community pharmacy teams can expect?
- More people presenting with non-nominated EPS prescriptions and EPS Tracker use
Most prescriptions will continue to arrive in the non-nominated EPS pool. Pharmacy teams should be prepared to:
Search for the prescription using the patient’s name, date of birth, and NHS number when searching for the prescription in the EPS Prescription Tracker
- Recognise practice addresses linked to secure settings (e.g. HMP, YOI).
- Offer privacy to patients who are sensitive about their circumstances.
Some individuals may have a token or prescription barcode/number for their prescription, which was either provided to them by the prescriber or can be accessed via the NHS App or their online NHS account.
- Patients keeping their existing medicines
People may leave with any remaining medicines from their time in prison. In many cases, this already exceeds seven days. The 28-day EPS prescription then serves as a bridge while the person is being set up with community healthcare services.
- Continued need for sensitivity and confidentiality
Some individuals may feel reluctant to discuss their background. Pharmacy teams should maintain discretion at all times, including awareness of the legal protections afforded to people with spent convictions. Offering a consultation room, if possible, may help them feel more comfortable.
Operational points for pharmacy teams
Prescription charges
People leaving prison continue to be exempt under EPS exemption code 0015 for Prisoners on Release. This does not currently apply to individuals leaving immigration removal centres unless another valid exemption reason applies.
Clarifying queries relating to prescriptions issued by prisons
If needed, pharmacy teams contact the issuing prison healthcare team via the main switchboard and request transfer to healthcare. Prison prescribers cannot amend prescriptions once an individual has been released; changes require a community GP or NHS 111.
Duplicate supply checks
Use your EPS and Spine checks to reduce the risk of duplication, and stay alert for situations where a patient may have seen a community GP before collecting discharge medicines.
Post-dated prescriptions
Detained estate prescribers may consider post-dated prescriptions in some outlier scenarios. However, they have also been advised of operational challenges, such as the community pharmacy not being able to see the EPS prescription on the Spine until the date and therefore not being able to prepare to process the prescription.
How does this process change support pharmacy teams
This change aligns with the wider direction for a more integrated, people centred NHS. It supports:
- Better continuity of care.
- More manageable and predictable dispensing activity.
- Safer medicines access during a vulnerable transition.
- Clearer handover pathways between prison healthcare and community services.
It also reflects several CP ITG principles, including interoperable IT, reduced burden, resilience and patient focused design.
Supporting people at a vulnerable transition
Leaving prison can be a disorientating time for individuals. Many will be anxious about their medications and about accessing community healthcare services. Pharmacy teams are often the first NHS professionals they encounter, and your support can make a significant difference.
This updated process gives pharmacy teams:
- More time to dispense safely.
- A clearer, more consistent process.
- A better foundation for conversations about next steps, including GP registration.
It also aligns with the broader vision for community pharmacy as an accessible, preventive, digitally connected part of primary care.
Practical tips for pharmacy teams
- Make EPS Tracker usage routine
Continue using patient-identifying details to locate non-nominated EPS prescriptions using EPS Tracker – which can save time, e.g., compared with queries to the GP practice.
- Maintain a welcoming, non‑judgemental environment
If a patient seems hesitant, offer a private consultation room. Their background should not need to be disclosed unless relevant to their care.
- Keep exemption rules in mind
Use exemption code 0015 where appropriate and apply other exemptions in line with NHS rules.
- Check what medicines the patient already has
They will often arrive with more than seven days’ supply. Confirm this before dispensing.
- Encourage GP registration
Help the patient understand the importance of registering with a GP to ensure continuity of medication.
- Build local knowledge
Where you see repeated patterns, it may help to note key secure estate numbers for quicker access to healthcare teams.
Digital and IT considerations
This change builds on EPS rollout across secure settings and supports several CP ITG principles. It helps create:
- Interoperable, consistent digital processes across settings.
- Reduced administrative burden.
- Improved resilience and safer transitions of care.
It also reflects broader NHS priorities to digitise pathways, use community based services more effectively, and reduce pressure at key transition points in care.
What this means for pharmacy teams
In practice, this change should feel like a smoother, more predictable version of what teams are already experiencing since the EPS expansion to the detained estate. It is designed to give pharmacy teams:
- Fewer last minute urgent requests.
- More time to dispense safely.
- Better continuity and safer handovers.
- A clearer, shared expectation across the NHS.
Your role remains vital in supporting people as they re-enter the community. This updated process is intended to help you provide that support in a calmer, safer and more structured way.
Next steps
NHS England expects this update to go live shortly after Easter, and Community Pharmacy England will continue sharing confirmed details with pharmacy teams as soon as they are available.
We will ensure any additional operational guidance or EPS updates are included in future communications and added to our website.
FAQs
Q. Will all people leaving prison now receive a 28‑day EPS prescription?
Yes. The 28‑day prescription is expected to become the standard approach for routine discharges.
Q. Will this increase EPS prescriptions arriving without a nomination?
Yes. Most prescriptions from secure settings are expected to continue being issued without nomination, so searching the non-nominated EPS pool remains essential.
Q. Should we expect more urgent requests?
No. This change is intended to reduce urgent demands by ensuring people have medicines for longer when they leave.
Q. What if the prescription needs revising?
Any amendments must be made by a community GP, or the individual should contact NHS 111 if urgent. Prison prescribers cannot amend prescriptions after release.
Q. Can we contact the issuing prison healthcare team?
Yes. Use the prison’s main switchboard and request a transfer to the healthcare team for clinical queries.
Q. Are FP10 MDA instalments affected?
No. FP10 MDA instalment prescribing still requires paper forms.
Further information
- EPS use in urgent and other care settings
- NHS HJIS: NHS Futures board (log in required).
