The electronic Acute Medication Service (eAMS), launched today by Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, is the second major step in the delivery of the Scottish Government's ePharmacy Programme.

The Atos Origin Alliance (AOA) is NHSScotland's national IT partner and is composed of Atos Origin, IBM and Sopra Group.  The AOA designed, built and operates eAMS, which is the first nationally live system in the UK, and one of only a handful in the world, to provide an end-to-end solution that supports the Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions (ETP).

eAMS, which was delivered on time and to budget, brings a number of benefits across the prescribing, dispensing and payment processes.  The data printed on GP prescription forms is sent electronically to community pharmacies, reducing the information that they have to transcribe and improving patient safety through the reduced risk of communication errors and improved accuracy of data.

Community pharmacies and GP practices around the country are now actively using eAMS.  Approximately 900,000 prescriptions are being processed every week, enabling pharmacies to electronically transmit their claim for reimbursement to NHS National Services Scotland (NSS).

Scott Haldane, Managing Director of the Atos Origin Alliance, said:
"This is an exciting development in the delivery of a modern healthcare service in Scotland, bringing benefits to patients, GPs, community pharmacists and NSS.  We are proud to be involved in a service in which Scotland is taking the lead and one that involves real partnership and collaboration between so many different entities."

The next and final element of the ePharmacy programme is the Chronic Medication Service (CMS), which will formalise the role of pharmacists in the management of patients with long-term medical conditions.  It will promote a partnership approach between the pharmacist, the patient and their GP, saving GP time in respect of managing regular repeat prescriptions.  NHS Fife is currently hosting the CMS early adopter sites before it is rolled out across the rest of Scotland.