1 :- Who will have access to the Electronic Prescription Service? ? In order to ensure that only authorised personnel are able to access the Electronic Prescription Service, smartcards will be issued to GP surgery staff and community pharmacists (including locums). The smartcard will grant users with different levels of access depending on their function within the prescribing/dispensing process. Essentially, details of the prescription will only be seen by the same people as at present.

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2 :- What is the Electronic Prescription Service? ? The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), which is being developed and implemented by the Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions (ETP) programme, will allow a patient's prescription to be sent electronically from their GP to a pharmacy. Once fully operational, if a patient wishes to, they may nominate a preferred pharmacy to which their prescriptions can be sent automatically. Over time, dispensers will also be able to submit reimbursement claims electronically to a reimbursement authority.

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3 :- Will patients need to present proof of ID upon collection of prescriptions when paper is phased out? ? The checks undertaken by dispensers will remain the same as at present, with the person collecting the prescription being asked to confirm the patient's details.

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4 :- How do I find out about health services in my local area? ? The NHS Choices website provides a local services search to help you find a GP, dentist, hospital, chemist or optician close to where you live. The website also allows you to compare hospitals by various criteria such as car parking, facilities, treatments offered or availability of A&E departments.

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5 :- I am going abroad - how do I get treatment if I need it? ? The Department of Health website provides health advice for travellers and information about the UK's healthcare agreements with other countries.

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