Notifications from pharmacy systems to GP practice systems
Published on: 23rd October 2019 | Updated on: 22nd July 2022
Direct notifications can be communicated between clinical IT systems (e.g. from pharmacy system to GP practice system) to improve patients’ experiences and care outcomes, and to bring other health-related benefits.
The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has worked with NHS Digital, Community Pharmacy England, clinicians from across primary care, and others to develop several standards for electronic transfer of information which could be sent from pharmacy systems to GP practice systems.
The use of Flu vaccination service PRSB-developed notifications and Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) urgent supplies notifications are being used where systems are allowing.
Click on a heading below for more information
Electronic flu vaccination notifications are sent automatically from pharmacies which use the Sonar Informatics and PharmOutcomes systems and they are received by GP practices as a workflow task. Some GP systems can receive structured information, which means details can be added directly to a patient’s record, without the information having to be manually transcribed.
These electronic notifications are currently available for the urgent supply of medicines made as part of the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) and pharmacy administered flu vaccinations.
GP practices using TPP SystmOne can receive notifications for both services.
GP practices using EMIS Web can receive urgent supply notifications. Notifications for flu vaccinations are being enabled during October and November 2020.
For pharmacy teams, the way flu vaccinations are recorded in your system will not change as notifications are sent automatically to a patient’s registered GP practice. Not all GP systems can yet receive the notifications, but your pharmacy IT system will check prior to sending a message and it will revert to the existing method for transmission, normally NHSmail, if the practice is not enabled.
Additional system guidance and roll out information is available from system suppliers.
Most community pharmacy contractors in England can send electronic notifications for urgent supplies of medicines provided as part of the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS).
This assists pharmacy teams with informing GPs that one of their patients has received an urgent supply of a medicine or appliance via the CPCS.
The new functionality is live for pharmacies in London using the Sonar Informatics system and is enabled for pharmacies elsewhere in England using Pinnacle Health’s PharmOutcomes system.
The electronic notifications are sent automatically and there is no change to the way pharmacy teams record CPCS urgent supplies in the IT systems. Not all GP systems can yet receive the notifications, but your pharmacy IT system will check prior to sending a message and it will revert to the existing method for transmission, normally NHSmail, if the practice is not enabled.
This system of electronic notifications to GP systems is currently in use for the TPP SystmOne GP system and the EMIS Web GP system.
Additional system guidance and roll out information is available from system suppliers.
The use of the notifications described above will help to inform the potential transfer of other standard notifications from pharmacy to GP practice systems. This may include other types of vaccinations and services notifications.
The PRSB developed ‘pharmacy information flows’ standard notifications and supported a generic design so that initial notifications could act as templates for similar notifications. This also means that system suppliers may more easily make those changes required to enable the structured flow of various information.
NHS Digital’s Digital medicine specification versions includes developed specifications to support communication of:
- Pharmacy immunisation administration (including flu vaccination)
- Pharmacy emergency medication supply
- Pharmacy New Medicine Service (NMS)
- Pharmacy medication review
- Pharmacy digital minor illness referral service
- Pharmacy appliance use review
Read more at:
Guidance for suppliers (NHS Digital) – including link to developer.nhs.uk APIs.
If you have queries on this webpage or you require more information please contact it@cpe.org.uk.
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