Components of EPS

The Electronic Prescription Service is made up of a number of key components, ranging from the local system in a surgery or dispensary to the centrally-held functionality, which is commonly referred to as 'the Spine'.

NHS CFH system alerts

The NHS CFH Service Bridge can provide high severity service incident communications via email, SMS and the Service Status section on the NWW site (N3 connection required, NHS staff only).

If you work in a pharmacy using EPS, you can register to receive text or email alerts when there are incidents affecting the NHS CFH components that support EPS. This includes EPS itself, the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) and the Spine.

Simply download and complete the NHS CFH service incident alert request form (Word 71Kb) and email it back to cfh.servicebridge@nhs.net and NHS CFH will send you an alert when the component is unavailable and again when normal service is resumed.

Pharmacy IT system troubleshooting guide

A quick reference guide for pharmacy with space to add local contacts and procedures. It is recommended that you check with your pharmacy owner and system supplier before using the troubleshooting section.

Pharmacy IT System Troubleshooting Guide (DOC, 57Kb) 
Pharmacy IT System Troubleshooting Guide (PDF, 82Kb)

Other useful information

For more information on relevant aspects of EPS follow the links below:

• Using EPS
• Deployment of EPS
• EPS Release 2 Smartcards
• Frequently Asked Questions