Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the widespread adoption of the Electronic Prescription Service by pharmacies, whether an audit has been undertaken to determine the impact on the cost of providing prescriptions; and if so, whether those costs rose or fell, and by how much.

The impact of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) has been extensively validated and continuously reviewed by NHS Digital, including for pharmacies and other dispensers. For example, provisional findings from an independent audit, which measure cost in time rather than a monetary value, have identified time savings per prescription dispensed. These findings have yet to be finalised and the final audit report is expected to be published in due course.

Greater efficiencies, an improved audit trail and better customer service have also been found by NHS Digital and the independent audit, in respect of pharmacies using EPS.