EPS rolls out across Wales

NHS England has announced that the rollout of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is well underway across primary care in Wales.

As of June 2025:

• All seven pharmacy system suppliers operating in Wales now support EPS.
• The majority of pharmacies in Wales are now able to receive electronic prescriptions.
• EPS utilisation is estimated to be at 10% and rising, with a fifth of GP practices in Wales able to use EPS.

What this means for community pharmacy teams in England

If you receive a Welsh EPS prescription note that:

• Cross-border EPS nominations require care: Pharmacy teams should take extra care when managing EPS nominations that involve patients moving between England and Wales, to ensure prescriptions are processed correctly.
• Prescription charges differ by country: If a Welsh electronic prescription is dispensed in England, the English prescription charge rules will apply.

Handling EPS nominations

• Patients registered at an EPS-enabled GP practice in Wales may choose to nominate your pharmacy. Similarly, those registered at an English GP practice can update their nomination to an EPS-enabled pharmacy in Wales for prescription dispensing.
• If you receive a Welsh prescription, check that the patient’s nomination is up to date. In some cases – such as when a patient moves house – an out-of-date nomination may result in a prescription being sent to the patient’s previously used and nominated pharmacy, even though they have moved away from that area.
• To resolve this, ensure the patient’s nomination reflects their preferred pharmacy, allowing future prescriptions to be directed correctly. Any misdirected prescriptions should be returned to the NHS Spine to prevent further errors.
• All EPS users (including pharmacy team members) making changes to nomination settings must ensure their actions are in line with the EPS nomination principles.

When does the patient charge apply?

• English prescription charge rules apply to Welsh prescriptions dispensed in England. So, Welsh patients who choose to have their prescriptions dispensed at an English pharmacy will be required to pay the NHS prescription charge, unless they qualify for an exemption from the charge.

In contrast, prescription charges do not apply to Welsh prescriptions dispensed at a pharmacy in Wales.

Further information 

Further future related updates may be applied to our EPS across care setting webpage