The chief pharmaceutical officer for Wales visited a Caerphilly GP practice and pharmacy to see how an electronic prescription service is benefiting people.

Andrew Evans, went to the Village Surgery and Well Pharmacy in Llanbradach to see how the electronic prescription service, known as EPS, has been operating since spring this year.

He was accompanied by others including Jenny Pugh-Jones, chairperson of the primary care EPS programme in Wales and Mark Allen, community pharmacy lead at Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW). They were all there to see the impact of electronic prescriptions on the community.

Mr Evans said: "I am delighted to see first-hand how the Electronic Prescription Service is already benefiting patients, GPs and pharmacists in Llanbradach.

"The service is improving convenience for patients and increasing efficiency at the GP practice and pharmacy, reducing bureaucracy and freeing up more of clinicians’ time to spend helping patients.

"The rollout of the Electronic Prescription Service supports the transformation of the role of community pharmacies in Wales.

"I look forward to seeing it continue to every part of Wales."

The EPS allows GP’s to send prescriptions securely to the chosen community pharmacy of the patient.

This was said to make processes easier, safer and more efficient for the patients and the healthcare staff.

EPS was also praised by Ms Pugh-Jones. She said: "I’m delighted to join the chief pharmaceutical officer in Llanbradach today to see the very real benefits that EPS is bringing to patients in Wales.

"Staff tell us that EPS is freeing up more time for patient care and enables them to track the location of a prescription at any time.

"We’re looking forward to EPS rolling out across the whole of Wales as quickly and safely as possible."

EPS was first launched in Rhyl, Denbighshire last year and is a key part of digital medicines, a transformation programme managed by DHCW.

Digital medicines aims to make the process of prescribing and dispensing medicines safer, easier and more efficient for patients and healthcare professionals.