Frequently Asked Questions

COVID-19

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• What is the National Electronic Prescription Transfer System and how do I get access to it?

  The Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply)(Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 98 of 2020) defines the National Electronic Prescription transfer system as “a system providing for the transfer of prescriptions, in permanent and unalterable form, by electronic means approved, on behalf of the Health Service Executive, by the head of the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) and the Chief Information Officer”. The approved system is the HSE’s Healthmail System.

  Any pharmacy not already registered with Healthmail and who wish to do so will find further information on the Healthmail website.

  Healthmail also allows for the transfer of prescriptions to pharmacies from hospitals and health agencies who are securely connected to Healthmail. A list of hospitals and health agencies securely connected to Healthmail is available. This means that a prescriber in a Healthmail connected agency (for example, a HSE Hospital) can send a prescription securely to a Healthmail user (for example, a community pharmacy).

• Are prescriptions sent via the National Electronic Prescription Transfer System required to have the prescriber’s signature?

  No. To be legally valid a prescription sent through Healthmail must:

  • be in electronic form,
  • be transmitted by the national electronic prescription transfer system,
  • clearly indicate the date of issue,
  • clearly indicate the professional registration number of the prescriber, and
  • be traceable electronically back to the prescriber.

  A prescription sent through Healthmail is traceable back to the prescriber and therefore a signature is not required on the prescription. The pharmacist must still be satisfied that in their professional judgement it is safe to make any supply in the context of the information received.

  All other prescription requirements under the relevant legislation must still be met for prescriptions sent through Healthmail, including those relating to opioid substitution prescriptions which must be prescribed using the opioid substitution prescription form. 

  PSI, Medical Council and HSE joint guidance provides more detail about the changes introduced under the emergency regulation amendments.

• Can faxed prescriptions be used to supply prescription only medicines and Schedule 2, 3 and 4 controlled drugs?

  A prescription/communication sent outside the National Electronic Prescription Transfer System is not recognised in the legislation as a legally valid prescription, for example, prescriptions sent through personal or commercial email accounts or fax.

  Prescription only medicines, including Schedule 2, 3 and 4 controlled drugs can be supplied on foot of a prescription which is:
  

  
  

  1) Paper-based – written in ink, signed by the prescriber in his or her usual signature, and dated by him/her) or, 

  2) Electronic - transmitted by the national electronic prescription transfer system, indicating the date of issue, the professional registration number of the prescriber, and traceable electronically back to the prescriber.

  Faxed copies of prescriptions do not constitute an original prescription and may only be used as supportive information in relation to facilitating emergency supplies at the request of a prescriber and where in the exercise of their professional judgement the pharmacists deems it safe, and appropriate to do so.

• Can a pharmacist dispense an emergency supplies of presciption only medicines and Schedule 2, 3 and 4 controlled drugs?

  A) Emergency Supply of Prescription Only Medicines 

  
  

  A pharmacist can provide an emergency supply of a prescription only medicine based on a request from a prescriber (registered medical practitioner, registered dentist, or registered nurse). This is allowable in emergency situations where the prescriber is unable to supply the prescription immediately but undertakes to provide it within 72 hours. The pharmacist may make the supply in accordance with the prescriber’s instructions, including the quantity to be supplied.

  A pharmacist can provide an emergency supply of a prescription only medicine based on a patient’s request, where they have interviewed the patient and are satisfied that there is an immediate need for the supply, it is impracticable to obtain a prescription without undue delay, the treatment has previously been prescribed for the patient (by a medical practitioner, registered dentist, or registered nurse), and the appropriate dose can be verified. Emergency supplies made on foot of a patient request may be of quantity that provides up to 5 day’s treatment or the nearest equivalent minimum dosage pack unit.

  B) Emergency Supply of Schedule 2, 3 and 4 Controlled Drugs 

  
  

  Pharmacists are not permitted to provide emergency supplies of controlled drugs in schedule 2, 3 or 4 whether at the request of a prescriber or a patient, unless further specific conditions are met in accordance with the Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) Regulations 2003 (as amended), including that in the pharmacist’s opinion:

  • there is an immediate need for the supply of the controlled drug to be made, 
  • it is safe, appropriate, and necessary to make the supply for the continued treatment of the patient, 
  • it is not possible to obtain a prescription without undue delay, 
  • the treatment has previously been prescribed for the patient, and 
  • no more than 5 days treatment or the nearest equivalent minimum dosage pack unit size is being supplied (additionally, where the supply is in on foot of a request by a patient.)
  • an emergency supply of the controlled drug has not already been supplied based on a request by the patient since their last supply on foot of a prescription.

  Note: Pharmacists can provide an emergency supply of methylphenobarbitone, phenobarbitone, phenobarbitone sodium, midazolam, clobazam, or clonazepam, at the request of either a prescriber or a patient, without having to satisfy the additional conditions above, where it is for the treatment of epilepsy.

• Can a prescriber in a hospital setting or other setting which does not have a Healthmail account, send a prescription to a community pharmacy via Healthmail?

  Yes. A list of hospitals and health agencies securely connected to Healthmail is available. This means that a prescriber in a Healthmail connected agency can send a prescription securely to a Healthmail user i.e. a community pharmacy.

  In addition, all HSE hospitals, primary care teams or health care professionals who have an @hse.ie email address can send a prescription securely to a pharmacy’s Healthmail account. Prescriptions sent from one of these domains to a healthmail address is still sent via healthmail, as is required under the legislation, and healthmail remains a closed system.

• Can a prescriber use electronic prescribing software other than Healthmail to send a prescription securely to a community pharmacy?

  A prescription sent outside the Healthmail system is not recognised in the legislation as a legally valid prescription, for example, prescriptions sent through personal or commercial email accounts or fax. In cases where pharmacists receive prescriptions by other electronic means, in relation to an emergency supply at the request of a prescriber, the original prescription must still be received by the pharmacy within 72 hours in accordance with the emergency supply provisions of Regulation 8 of the Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) Regulations 2003 (as amended).
  
  For assistance with Healthmail specific queries, visit the FAQs section on the Healthmail website. Contact details for Healthmail can also be found on their website.