The first of NHS England’s Independent Prescriber Pathfinder sites has gone live with the CLEO SOLO electronic prescription service.

NHS England announced in August that it had signed a contract with CLEO Systems to procure a clinical system which would allow community pharmacists to generate prescriptions via the NHS electronic prescription service.

The first site to go live with the system is at Well Pharmacy in Keighley – part of the Bestway group. This was the first pharmacy to initially process an electronic prescription issued by a GP back in February 2005, so it is, perhaps, fitting that it is also the first pharmacy site to issue an NHS electronic prescription.

Ifti Khan, pharmacy superintendent at Well Pharmacy, says: ‘Our colleagues are excited to have the opportunity to support this transformational initiative, enabling pharmacy to truly be the first point of contact for patients with minor ailments.

“We are looking forward to watching the benefit this service will have to local patients and how we can continue to support the government’s agenda of Pharmacy First and early detection and prevention of illness.”

The Independent Prescribing in Community Pharmacy Pathfinder programme will enable pharmacists to use their independent prescribing qualification to prescribe for NHS clinical services.

The programme, which is being commissioned through ICBs as a local enhanced service, anticipates the situation in September 2026, when all newly qualified pharmacists will be registered as independent prescribers from the day of their registration.

Following a call by NHS England in January 2003 for expressions of interest to be part of the pathfinder programme, 210 community pharmacy sites were chosen to deliver 13 proposed prescribing models which fall into three broad categories:

1. Existing community pharmacy commissioned services:

• acute minor illness
• contraception

2. Long term conditions:

• prescribing for cardiovascular disease (statins, anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation)
• prescribing for respiratory disease (inhaler optimisation, rescue therapy)

3. Novel services - a small number of ICBs proposed services such as:

• de-prescribing (reducing over-prescribing for patients on repeat prescriptions for multiple medicines)
• reviewing antidepressants
• menopause services.

Since then, NHS England has been working with ICBs to develop their clinical pathways and create local governance frameworks.

CLEO SOLO EP digitises the process of creating FP10 prescriptions and, claims its supplier, “is achieving remarkable benefits for users where it has been deployed, including a vastly improved patient experience as well as the eradication of lost, stolen and illegible scripts, which in turn enhances patient safety”. 

In June 2024, NHS England transferred funding to ICBs to support project management, clinical supervision and local evaluation of the programme.

Community Pharmacy England’s director of NHS services, Alastair Buxton, has described the launch of the pathfinder sites as “a really positive development”, and welcomed in involvement of ICBs.

“The programme will allow the NHS and community pharmacy to work through the practical and professional issues which need to be addressed before independent prescribing can be embedded in day-to-day practice and within the NHS contractual framework,” he said.