Some pharmacies will soon be able to issue NHS electronic prescriptions as the next stage of the community pharmacy prescribing pathfinder project is rolled out.

In a letter sent to regional pharmacy leads today, NHS England said it had procured a national clinical system to allow community pharmacists to generate prescriptions via the NHS Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).

And it said it would now begin to roll out this system, CLEO SOLO from Cleo Systems, to pathfinder sites 'so they can start delivering their clinical services'.

Some sites have already begun testing the system and the remaining pathfinder pharmacies are expected to gain access to the system within the coming months, The Pharmacist understands.

Following an expression of interest process, 210 community pharmacies were selected to work out how independent prescribing services could be commissioned in community pharmacies.

The proposed prescribing models and pathways fall into three broad categories, NHSE said, including:

1. Building on existing community pharmacy commissioned services such as acute minor illness and contraception

2. Long term conditions; including prescribing for cardiovascular disease (statins, anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation) and prescribing for respiratory disease (inhaler optimisation, rescue therapy).

3. New community pharmacy services; such as de-prescribing (reducing over prescribing for patients on repeat prescriptions for multiple medicines), reviewing antidepressants, and menopause services.

The project, intended to test how different models of pharmacist independent prescribing could work, was launched a year ago in August 2023.

It was backed by £12m funding for IT support, project management, clinical mentoring, peer networks, supporting prescribing pharmacists, and evaluating the project.

But concerns have been raised about the amount of funding that participating pharmacies could claim, as well as the speed of the roll-out of the project.

It comes as changes to pharmacist education mean that from September 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will become independent prescribers at the point of registration.

And the new Labour government has promised a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service as part of its pre-election manifesto.

It said this would grant more pharmacists independent prescribing rights ‘where clinically appropriate’.

Speaking to The Pharmacist today, Tase Oputu, England board chair for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) said that the independent prescribing pathfinder programme would 'help build on the success of Pharmacy First and enhance the role of pharmacists in patient care'.

'As pathfinder sites are getting ready to deliver, pharmacists will need the time and support to help make the programme a success, evaluating the positive impact on patients and learning lessons for the future,' she said.