£2.5m plan for electronic prescriptions in Fife hospitals

NHS Fife has rubber-stamped the business case for the new Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (HEPMA) system, which will move its hospitals away from traditional paper-based prescriptions.

It will give hospital staff full access to medication histories - including known drug allergies - and reduce the potential for the wrong medicines being prescribed.

It is also faster than paper-based prescribing, giving staff more time to attend to patients.

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Implementation of the system, run by EMIS Health, is expected to take up to three years, pending formal approval by the Scottish Government. Ministers have agreed to fund £1.7m of the £2.5m cost.

Dr Chris McKenna, NHS Fife Medical Director, added: “Crucially, as more and more patients are treated with complex therapies, the system will reduce the opportunity for human error and ultimately improve patient safety as a result. “

> Jon Brady is the Local Democracy Reporter for Fife & Angus

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