South Cheshire patients boosted by £2.5 million digital prescription fund

Patients in South Cheshire will benefit from a £2.5 million digital hospital prescription initiative.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & East Cheshire NHS Trust will receive a share of £26 million for digital prescribing systems.

Digital prescriptions will replace outdated paper systems, and aim to improve patient safety and reduce errors.

The technology will see Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust move away from handwritten prescriptions.

Health bosses hope the system will reduce medication errors by up to 30%, ensure faster access to potentially life-saving information on prescribed medicines, and build a single electronic record which reduces duplication of information-gathering.

The funding for the next year is the second wave from a £78 million pot to improve patient care by speeding up the implementation of electronic prescribing systems across the NHS over three years.

Minister for Health Edward Argar said: “Electronic prescriptions in our hospitals will not only do away with old fashioned paper prescriptions but can help prevent avoidable and potentially catastrophic medication errors.

“As part of our Long-Term Plan for the NHS we’re committed to giving our hardworking staff access to modern systems which save them valuable time and makes every penny of taxpayers’ money count.

“Following the previous funding announcement, I’m delighted to confirm the funding allocations for these 25 Trusts as part of our mission to upgrade NHS hospitals with modern technology so patients get the best and safest care possible.”

Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, said: “Switching from paper prescriptions to digital in our hospitals will make mistakes less likely, free up staff time and ultimately improve patients’ care and health.

“This is part of the NHS Long Term Plan to support health service organisations to use digital technology to improve the care they can give patients, and allow staff to focus on delivering care, rather than on time-consuming processes.”

Phase 4 of the Electronic Prescription Service will be rolled out nationally next month in primary care.