Hospital/Foundation Trusts

Authorised signatories within Hospital Trusts must inform us of hospital:

ePACT codes for prescribing purposes
cost centres
prescribers within their organisation

Additions, deletions and changes to organisational and prescriber data need to be emailed to prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk using the relevant form.

Queries

If we have any queries, we’ll email the original sender of the notification.

No changes can be made to our systems until we receive a satisfactory response to the query. More complex queries can be discussed by telephone, but must always be followed up with written confirmation of the action agreed.

Accepting notifications

Only notifications submitted by authorised signatories will be accepted.

The senior authorised signatory within the organisation is responsible for authorising other signatories.

Notifications sent by individuals who are not nominated authorised signatories will not be accepted.

Changing data

If you need to change any organisational or prescriber data held by us for your organisation, contact an authorised signatory who'll be able to submit this on your behalf.

Notify us about changes

Find the most up to date information and forms relevant to your organisation or prescriber type.

Hospital ePACT codes

These procedures only relate to hospital units that issue FP10 prescriptions that will be dispensed in the community.

These forms are processed by us and ultimately recharged to Hospital Trusts using the hospital ePACT code identified on the FP10 prescription form.

The subsequent prescribing information will be available on hospital ePACT. If you have any queries on hospital ePACT, contact our Data Services team by:

Email: dataservicessupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

New Hospital ePACT codes

New hospital ePACT codes are issued to the Hospital Trust from ODS (Organisational Data Service, part of NHS Digital) via the Trust's OC1 contact.

If you have any queries regarding the ODS, please contact their National Helpdesk Exeter by:

Telephone: 01392 251289

Email: exeter.helpdesk@nhs.net

Confirmation of new ePACT codes allocated by the ODS must be forwarded to us along with the appropriate form:New Hospital ePACT code (Excel: 54KB)

Change of Hospital ePACT code details

Changes to hospital ePACT code information can be sent direct to us. However, if a replacement code is required the Trust should contact the ODS (as per the instructions above for ‘New Hospital ePACT codes’).

For other cosmetic changes, use the change of hospital ePACT code details form.Change of hospital ePACT code details (Excel: 57KB)

Closure of Hospital ePACT codes

When a hospital ePACT code is no longer required for prescribing purposes, the Trust should complete the Closure of hospital ePACT code (Excel: 52KB) form.

Where we have been notified of a new hospital ePACT code, allow 5 working days prior to ordering pre-printed prescription pads.

Unless notified of a query by us, the Trust will not receive confirmation that the code has been added to our systems.

Hospital ePACT code prescription pads are ordered from Xerox (UK) Ltd using the Xerox (UK) Ltd ordering procedure.

If the Hospital Trust does not supply information to us in a timely manner, prescription costs may be attributed to an incorrect organisation.

Cost centres within a Hospital Trust

New cost centre

Using the relevant forms, the Trust must advise us when a cost centre is formed as the result of:

merging 2 or more cost centres
splitting a cost centre into 2 or more cost centres
a new cost centre opening, such as for Non Medical Prescribers
the Hospital Trust relinquishing a hospital ePACT code in order to monitor prescribing at an individual level

New cost centre (Excel: 59KB)Change of cost centre details (Excel: 59KB)Closure of a cost centre (Excel: 58KB)

New cost centre details

A new cost centre can only be set up on our systems if either a named doctor, a generically named spurious code or one or more non-medical prescribers are also added at the same time. As such, you must also complete and send the relevant notification form together with this form, omitting practice code field only.

Once actioned, the authorised signatory will be notified by email of the new cost centre code.

Following confirmation of the cost centre code, the Hospital Trust will be able to order personalised prescription pads from Xerox (UK) Ltd in respect of the new prescribers within the cost centre using the Xerox (UK) Ltd ordering procedure.

Change of Cost Centre details

The new or updated information will be sent to Xerox (UK) Ltd and any replacement pads will bear the new or updated information, where applicable.

Medical prescribers within a Trust

Where a cost centre has been created to monitor prescribing at individual level, an authorised signatory at the Trust must advise us of any doctor additions, deletions or changes to information, such as a change of surname, by using one of the relevant forms listed:

Doctor joining a cost centre (Excel: 65KB)Change of doctor details (Excel: 57KB)Doctor leaving a cost centre (Excel: 55KB)

Note that if a doctor has been suspended, you should indicate this in the relevant section of the form and provide the date of when the suspension began. If the doctor leaves following suspension a further leaver form will need to be provided.

Some medical prescribers within the Trust may also be GPs in primary care.

GPs are issued with a doctor’s index number (DIN), which is used as their prescribing code on prescriptions.

To request a GP Prescribing Code or Doctors Index Number (DIN), contact your local Integrated Care Board.

Contact details for your Integrated Care Board can be found via the search function on the performers list website.

Spurious codes

Spurious doctor codes are issued to Trusts:

for a hospital doctor who does not have a DIN Code
as an additional prescribing code for a GP working in more than one practice / cost centre, in order to monitor prescribing in each practice / cost centre

A spurious code will only be issued to a GP whose DIN code is already in use at another practice / cost centre or for hospital doctors who are not issued with a DIN code.

Locum doctors should use the prescribing code of the doctor for whom they are providing locum services.

Spurious code request (Excel: 58KB)Spurious code leaving a GP practice or cost centre (Excel: 54KB)Change of Spurious code details (Excel: 55KB)

Where a spurious code has been requested, the authorised signatory will be notified of the new codes by email.

Following confirmation of the new code(s), the Trust will be able to order personalised prescription pads from Xerox (UK) Ltd in respect of the new spurious code details using the Xerox (UK) Ltd ordering procedure.

Non-medical prescribers within a Trust cost centre

An authorised signatory at the Trust must advise us of any non-medical prescriber (NMP) additions, deletions or changes to NMP information, such as a change of surname, by using one of the relevant forms listed:

Non-medical prescriber joining a GP practice or cost centre (Excel: 53KB)Non-medical prescriber leaving a GP practice or cost centre (Excel: 55KB)Change of non-medical prescriber details (Excel: 60KB)

Once actioned, the new or updated information will be sent to Xerox (UK) Ltd and any replacement pads will bear the new or updated information, where applicable. Personalised prescription pads from Xerox (UK) Ltd must be ordered using the Xerox (UK) Ltd ordering procedure.

NMP Locums

If a practice only uses paper prescriptions, NMP locums should use the prescriptions of a similarly qualified NMP. The signature on the form can be used to identify the locum who has signed it.

If a practice utilises EPS and has locum NMPs on an ad hoc basis, those NMPs should always be registered even if they are only working at the practice for a short time. This is because the prescriptions could be processed incorrectly if a different prescriber's details are used on the EPS system.

For further information, contact us by:

Telephone: 0191 203 5112
Email: prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

Business hours are 8am to 4pm.

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