New Toolkit to Streamline Repeat Prescribing in General Practices
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have launched a landmark practical toolkit designed to improve the safety, efficiency, and consistency of repeat prescribing systems in general practices across England.
This innovative toolkit, commissioned by NHS England, follows the 2021 National Overprescribing Review, which highlighted the significant impact of poorly managed repeat prescriptions on overprescribing and problematic polypharmacy.
As the first national guidance on repeat prescribing in 20 years, the toolkit arrives at a critical time when over 1 billion prescriptions are dispensed annually in England – 77% of which are repeat prescriptions.
Given that nearly 80% of the NHS primary care medicine costs come from repeat prescriptions, the need for a streamlined and safe system is essential. The significant workload generated by these prescriptions necessitates improvements to ensure both safety for patients and efficiency for healthcare providers.
What’s more, this aligns with NHS England’s broader resources on balancing capacity and demand in general practice.
The RPS/RCGP Repeat Prescribing Toolkit provides a comprehensive framework that allows GP practices, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), and community pharmacies to assess and refine their local repeat prescribing processes.
The toolkit includes practical resources such as case studies, flow charts, action plan templates, and guidance to help identify areas for improvement, addressing inefficiencies and inconsistencies while minimising medicine waste.
By working collaboratively, healthcare teams can improve patient care and reduce unnecessary oversupply of medications, thereby saving valuable NHS resources.
A key feature of the toolkit is the integration of a new NHS dashboard, which tracks the scale of potential medication oversupply across various prescribing areas. Accessible through the NHS Business Services Authority’s ePACT2 platform, the dashboard offers healthcare professionals enhanced access to prescribing data, supporting efforts to minimise avoidable waste and reduce patient risk.
The RPS Fellow and Clinical Lead author underscored the importance of this toolkit, calling it a significant step towards ensuring safer and more efficient repeat prescribing practices, ultimately benefiting both patients and the NHS.
The National Clinical Director for Prescribing at NHS England praised the collaboration between the RPS and RCGP, thanking them for developing a resource that will help improve systems at general practices and community pharmacies nationwide.
Furthermore, with over one billion prescriptions dispensed annually, three-quarters of which are repeats, this toolkit offers essential guidance to ensure that repeat prescribing processes remain safe and efficient for everyone involved.
The Honorary Secretary of the RCGP echoed these sentiments, emphasising the need to continuously improve repeat prescribing systems given the workload they generate in general practices.
The toolkit provides the means for GP practices, Primary Care Networks, and community pharmacies to collaborate on improving their processes and ensuring that patient care is at the forefront. Additionally, it includes practical advice on improving communication with patients about repeat prescriptions, supported by good practice case studies and a host of other resources.
A patient representative and Board Member at Healthwatch Leeds further highlighted the importance of the toolkit, noting how it simplifies communication with patients regarding their repeat medications, ultimately supporting safer and more effective use of medicines.
In conclusion, the RPS/RCGP Repeat Prescribing Toolkit marks a significant advancement in streamlining and improving repeat prescribing systems across general practices in England.
Its development represents a collaborative effort between the RPS, RCGP, and NHS England to address inefficiencies and potential risks in the current system. By equipping healthcare providers with a robust framework and practical resources, the toolkit aims to enhance patient care, reduce medicine waste, and create a safer and more efficient prescribing process for all involved.
Now available for use by general practices, Primary Care Networks, Integrated Care Boards, and pharmacies, this toolkit joins a growing suite of resources from the RPS dedicated to improving prescribing practices across the NHS.
News Credits: New RPS and RCGP Repeat Prescribing Toolkit will improve safety and efficiency
Things you may also like: