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 the prescription 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. The 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 Schedule 2, 3 and 4 controlled drugs during the Covid-19 pandemic?

  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.

  
  

  Faxed prescriptions do not constitute an original prescription and may only be used in facilitating emergency supplies at the request of a prescriber, where in the exercise of their professional judgement pharmacists deem it safe and appropriate to do so. Pharmacists may supply up to five days treatment of Schedule 2, 3 or 4 controlled drugs by way of emergency supply at the request of a prescriber. A prescriber can also request an emergency supply of the following Schedule 4 Part 1 controlled drugs – midazolam, clobazam and clonazepam for the treatment of epilepsy. (The five day limit does not apply to midazolam, clobazam and clonazepam for the treatment of epilepsy).

  Where a prescriber makes a request for an emergency supply for their patient, they must undertake to provide the prescription to the pharmacy within 72 hours.

• Can a pharmacist dispense an emergency supply of a Schedule 2, 3 or 4 controlled drug at the request of a patient?

  
  

  Yes. Under the Covid-19 Emergency Provisions, a pharmacist can dispense up to five days supply of a Schedule 2, 3 or 4 controlled drug where it is unreasonable at the time of supply, in the circumstances arising from the Covid-19 emergency, for the person to obtain a new prescription for that medicinal product and it is in the opinion of the pharmacist that it is safe, appropriate and necessary for the continued treatment of the person for an emergency supply to be made. Additionally, a pharmacist can dispense up to ten days supply of the following Schedule 4 Part 1 controlled drugs: midazolam, clobazam and clonazepam for the treatment of epilepsy, at the request of a patient.

• 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, 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.