A range of organisations are involved with setting out and implementing IT policies at the national level.

Operations overview

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) undertake a range of tasks that support pharmacies and others in accessing and using national NHS IT applications in line with the ‘Securing excellence in IT‘. NHSE&I, through its local teams may either provide support functions itself or make arrangements for commissioning support units (CSUs) or any other IT provider to deliver them. GP IT services are managed by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on behalf of NHSE&I. A CCG provide support functions to GP practices dierctly or commission CSUs or another to do so.

Full list

See: List of IT policies/organisations (national).

CP ITG papers (national)

Community Pharmacy IT Group (CP ITG) has worked on several paper to help set out national pharmacy IT priorities:

• Digital priorities list (two pages) summary version (one-page) or  infographic version.
• CPCF grid, infographic and IT Reproductions of the grid and infographic to support IT relating to the Five-Year Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF).
• EPS future list

A range of organisations are involved with setting out and implementing IT policies at the local level.

CP ITG papers (local)

Community Pharmacy IT Group (CP ITG) has worked on template papers that can be used by LPCs or contractors to set out local priorities which align to the CP ITG’s national vision.

• Local digital priorities template (prose version)
• Local digital priorities template (slide version)

Further comments about the templates can be sent to it@psnc.org.uk.

Local digital roadmaps

Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) published Local digital roadmaps (LDRs) from 2017 to set out how the local health system would use ‘digital’ to provide improved and more efficient healthcare. LDRs were intended to support: a more interoperable approach; procurement of the software and hardware technologies to support appropriate information sharing across systems; providing business change and training support regarding new technologies that help clinicians move towards paperless workflows; and the use of a robust delivery plan.

Previously LDRs were published (at: London; South of England; North of England; Midlands and East of England) but many have not been recently updated and instead ICS are likely to consider local digital  priorities. Some of the LDRs were influenced by Guidance for LDR creation and NHE&I’s 2017 “Universal Capabilities Information and Resources“. NHSE&I can be contacted about past LDR work at england.digitalroadmap@nhs.net.

Full list

See: List of IT policies/organisations (local).

In some areas, local NHSE&I teams previously supported deployment by organising beneficial local awareness raising events or facilitating bringing together GPs and pharmacies to discuss IT business change (e.g.  EPS / eRD business change. In many areas, this type of support will continue to be available, but in other areas, it may not. Support is available if LPCs want to independently organise events to provide support for contractors.

See:

• Nomination and queries about it
• Tokens arrangements (EPS)

See: Report IT.

See: Smartcards and Registration Authorities.

List of NHS IT systems.

List of system suppliers.