Pharmacy IT workstreams update published after IT group meets
Community Pharmacy England has released a summary of the March 2025 meeting of the Community Pharmacy IT Group (CP ITG). The group are due to several key topics, including:
- Pharmacy IT development
- Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) extended to Detained Estate
- EPS clinical prescription tracker and EPS FHIR update
- Leveraging IT solutions to enhance patient engagement and service delivery in pharmacies
- NHS Vaccine Digital Services (VDS)
- Care Identity Service (CIS) and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Primary Care Cyber Security Readiness
Get involved
- Next steps for pharmacy IT feedback: If you would like to comment on the group’s new Next steps for pharmacy IT document (or the slide version), please email da@cpe.org.uk.
- Be an early user of the updated EPS Tracker: See prototypes and make suggestions about how an updated EPS Tracker would be most useful and usable. You’ll just need to complete the application form and also take part with a few short remote calls to share your thoughts and preferences about the tool. You’ll be able to pilot the tool for 6-8 weeks starting in May 2025.
- Use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies: if you’d like to comment on your use of AI technology to support patient care contact da@cpe.org.uk to take part with a call about this. There will be a round of short remote interviews within 18-25th March 2025.
- Primary Care Cyber Security Readiness: The Joint Cyber Unit are conducting a comprehensive survey to evaluate various aspects of cybersecurity, including readiness and preparedness, risk management, behaviours and attitudes, and good practices. Pharmacy and supplier representatives are all encouraged to complete the survey by 6th April 2025.
To request that Community Pharmacy England and the Community Pharmacy IT Group consider specific IT matters or to request to join future meetings (April onwards), please fill out the One-minute IT feedback/comment form.
The Spring round-up also outlines other opportunities for pharmacy teams to contribute to improving pharmacy IT.
To learn more, please refer to: IT update one-page factsheet and Quarterly IT update bulletin (pdf)/ Quarterly IT update bulletin (html website version).
About the CP ITG
Members of the CP ITG are drawn from Community Pharmacy England, NPA, RPS, CCA and IPA. Community Pharmacy England provides the secretariat for the group. The group’s meetings and work also involve pharmacy owners and teams, system suppliers, NHSBSA, NHS England’s pharmacy team, NHS England’s Transformation Directorate, DHSC and PRSB. Read more about the group and it’s work: CP ITG webpage.
