The following is an announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC):
The increased uptake of electronic prescriptions has resulted in a significant reduction of paper prescription submissions. Approximately 5% of the prescriptions currently submitted to the NHSBSA each month are in paper form. Previous sorting requirements are therefore no longer necessary from an operational perspective.
From October’s prescriptions (submitted by 5 November), paper FP10 prescriptions will only require sorting into the following categories:
- red separator – exempt - now including those marked FS, SSP, HMP and bulk*
- exempt – FP10MDA
- exempt
- red separator – chargeable
- paid – FP10MDA
- paid
- red separator – old charge rate (when applicable)
*Bulk prescriptions are identified by the name of the school or institution – the guidance does not currently require bulk prescriptions to specify the word 'bulk'.
The following types of paper prescription will not need to be separated or sorted according to the prescriber’s surname:
- FP10
- FP10D
- purple forms (Nurse/Supplementary Prescribers)
The red separator criteria will still apply with two additions, which should now be placed in the red separator - exempt sleeve:
- prescriptions from prison prescribers with the HMP abbreviation in the prescribers address
- bulk prescriptions
In addition a new version of the FP34C form will be sent to pharmacy contractors to be used for October’s prescriptions (submitted by 5 November). This will include updated guidance to reflect the changes outlined above with some further additions and removals in parts 1 and 2.
The following sections have been added or updated:
- figures for electronic prescription claims and FP10 claims now have separate entries on the form
- the wording for Appliance Use Reviews (AURs) has been updated to reflect recent changes to how they are conducted in light of the pandemic
- number of supplies made in accordance with Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) – declaration has been added
The following sections have been removed:
- ETP token for non-payment - tick box
- repeat authorising forms - tick box
- EPS 2 claim messages - tick box
- total number of hours that pharmacists and staff members supporting the dispensing process work in an average week, rounded to the nearest whole number – declaration
- number of Medicines Use Reviews (MURs) undertaken – declaration
These changes will also be reflected in the digital version of the form that can be submitted via the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal.