A Boots branch in Colwyn recently dispensed the 100,000th prescription item sent via the electronic prescription service in Wales, public officials have said.

Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) said the item had been dispensed at Boots Old Colwyn after receiving the digital prescription from nearby Cadwgan Surgery.

EPS is currently being rolled out across Wales “as quickly and safely as possible,” said DHCW, “with more GP practices and dispensers starting to use the service each month”.

In January this year, Boots branches became the second group to join the network of EPS trial sites.

Jenny Pugh-Jones, EPS lead for DHCW, commented: “Passing the 100,000 prescription item mark is a really significant step for electronic prescriptions in Wales. Since EPS launched, colleagues in DHSC, primary care, community pharmacies and other stakeholders have worked incredibly hard to start rolling out the service across Wales.

“It’s been exciting to see prescribing and dispensing numbers rise steadily each week, as more GP practices and pharmacies have come on board. I now look forward to building on this progress to benefit more patients and healthcare staff across Wales.”

Jenny Rose, store director for Wales at Boots UK, said: “Electronic prescriptions make it easier and safer for patients to access the medicines they need and make life easier for GP surgeries and pharmacy teams too. It has been great to support the roll out of EPS to all our Welsh stores.”

Negotiating body Community Pharmacy Wales recently welcomed a six per cent funding uplift for the country’s network,  with cabinet health secretary Mark Drakeford committing to “a fair and proportionate pay uplift” in line  with rising pay for doctors and dentists.