As a private GP, can I use the NHS electronic prescribing service (EPS)?

What EPS is, and who can use it

The Electronic Prescription Service sends NHS prescriptions from the prescriber’s clinical system to the patient’s nominated pharmacy. In NHS general practice it has been the default since 2019, so most GPs no longer handle paper prescriptions at all.

EPS carries NHS prescriptions only. Community Pharmacy England, which represents NHS pharmacies, lists private prescriptions among the items EPS cannot currently be used for. At the time of review we found no NHS England announcement that this will change.

You may have heard that private GPs are locked out because they cannot get a “Y code”. That is not quite right. Independent providers can apply for an organisation (ODS) code, and codes are issued on a needs basis. The real barrier is that EPS is built for NHS prescriptions, so a private prescription has nowhere to go even if you have a code and an NHS-connected system.

Paper private prescriptions

A private prescription can be written or printed on plain paper. Regulation 217 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 requires it to:

• be written in ink or otherwise indelible, and signed in ink by the prescriber
• include your address, the date, and the type of prescriber (for example, doctor)
• include the patient’s name and address, and their age if under 12.

It can be dispensed up to six months from the date on it. This works well when the patient is in the room. For remote consultations, posting a paper prescription is slow, and emailed or phoned-through prescriptions depend on each pharmacist agreeing to accept them.

Private electronic prescribing

Several companies run private electronic prescription services for doctors outside the NHS. Regulation 219 allows electronic prescriptions if they are created electronically, signed with an advanced electronic signature, and sent to the dispenser electronically. SignatureRx, for example, describes itself as an electronic private prescription service that uses advanced electronic signatures. The patient receives a code by email and can collect from any UK pharmacy or choose a delivery service.

Some services work through partner pharmacies that dispense and deliver, and some can be used from inside a clinical record system, so the prescription is issued and recorded in one step. When comparing services, check:

• whether patients can use any pharmacy or only the service’s partners
• whether dispensing status comes back to you
• whether it works from your record system, and whether it checks the prescription against your drug database
• costs for you and for the patient.

Our own practice has used a private e-prescribing service for well over 1,000 prescriptions. Apart from controlled drugs, we have almost stopped issuing paper, and we can see when each prescription has been dispensed.

Controlled drugs

Private prescriptions for Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs have extra rules under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001:

• They must be written on the standard private CD form provided by NHS England or the equivalent body: FP10PCD in England, WP10PCD in Wales and PPCD(1) in Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own arrangements, so check with the Department of Health there.
• They must include your private prescriber identification number, which you apply for through NHS England’s local team in England.
• They are valid for 28 days, and supply should normally be limited to 30 days.

An electronic prescription for a Schedule 2 or 3 drug must go through EPS, and EPS does not take private prescriptions. In practice this means private prescriptions for these drugs must be on paper.

Prescribing options at a glance

Route	Available to private GPs?	How the patient gets the medicine
NHS EPS	No	Nominated pharmacy (NHS prescriptions only)
Paper private prescription	Yes	Any pharmacy willing to dispense it
Private e-prescribing service	Yes, except Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs	Any participating pharmacy, or delivery through a partner pharmacy
Private CD form (FP10PCD in England)	Yes, with a private prescriber code	Community pharmacy, on paper

Outside England

EPS is an NHS England service. NHS Wales, NHS Scotland and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland run their own NHS prescribing arrangements. The Human Medicines Regulations rules on paper and electronic private prescriptions apply across the UK, and the private CD forms for each nation are listed above.

Good practice

• Record every prescription in the patient’s record, with the indication.
• With the patient’s consent, tell their NHS GP what you have prescribed, so their record stays accurate and interactions can be caught. See sending notes to the NHS GP.
• Follow GMC guidance on prescribing, including remote prescribing. If you cannot get the information you need to prescribe safely, do not prescribe.