Pharmacy IT workstreams update published as IT group meets
Community Pharmacy England has released an IT bulletin update ahead of the Community Pharmacy IT Group (CP ITG) meeting for its summer meeting.
Recent developments include:
Medicine pack barcode data quality
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continue to be made aware of concerns about the limited availability and consistency of Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and the declining presence of 2D data matrix barcodes on UK-only medicines packs. NHS England is inviting pharmacy owners and team members to complete a short survey on the impact of incomplete or inaccurate barcode data on patient safety and day-to-day workflows.
Take part in the pack barcode survey.
Ambient scribing tools
Community Pharmacy England has published a new web hub for ambient scribing tools in pharmacy, setting out how they may support community pharmacy, and the safeguards required for their use. Ambient scribing tools can help reduce the time spent writing consultation notes. Some IT suppliers are seeking inclusion on an NHS list of assured suppliers, demonstrating that they meet the relevant standards.
Read more at our ambient scribing tools hub.
IT system selection
NHS England researchers are seeking pharmacy input on how clinical IT systems are chosen and compared (e.g. the Pharmacy First system), and what pharmacy teams would like before such decisions are made. This important 5-minute survey helps pharmacy owners and decision-makers shape future approaches around clarity, usability and reducing burden.
Take part in the IT system selection survey.
Get involved
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 groups’ working Pharmacy IT roadmaps have been updated since the publication of the previous bulletin. If you would like to comment on the latest versions, please email da@cpe.org.uk.
The Summer 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
- 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 its work: CP ITG webpage.
