Barts Health brings your prescription to you
If you’ve ever stood waiting at your hospital pharmacy after your appointment, or had to make a separate trip in just to collect a prescription, Barts Health is making things easier for you.
The Trust is rolling out a new electronic prescribing service (EPS) that sends your prescription directly to a community pharmacy of your choice, anywhere in England. No paper. No queuing at the hospital. Just your medication, ready and waiting near you.
How does it work?
When your clinician prescribes medication during your outpatient appointment or emergency department visit, they can now send that prescription electronically to whichever pharmacy you prefer.
That could be the one on your high street, near your workplace, or close to home.
The service has already been rolled out in some departments across our hospitals, and the feedback speaks for itself:
“I had a telephone appointment so collecting from the hospital would have been very inconvenient. Getting from my local pharmacy was quick and easy.”
“Very quick and convenient as I could walk to the pharmacy and only had to wait around 2 minutes for my medicine to be ready.”
In fact, 92% of patients rated their experience of the new service as good or excellent.
The EPS is being rolled out across Barts Health emergency departments and outpatient clinics throughout 2025 and 2026. If your department is part of the service, your clinician will let you know and ask which pharmacy you’d like your prescription sent to. Not all prescription types are eligible, your clinical team can advise if this applies to your appointment.
What this means for you:
• Convenience, on your terms. Collect your prescription from a pharmacy that suits your schedule, including those open late in the evenings or at weekends. No need to work around hospital pharmacy opening hours.
• No unnecessary trips. If your appointment was by phone or video, you won’t need to travel to the hospital at all. Your prescription goes straight to a pharmacy near you.
• Your familiar pharmacy. Many people have a preferred pharmacy where staff know them and their needs. The electronic prescribing service means you can continue using the pharmacy you trust.
• Faster access to your medication. Over 1,000 community pharmacies across England are already receiving prescriptions through the service.
Why this matters
The service is helping reduce unnecessary hospital visits, and free up clinical teams to focus on care.
Barts Health is one of the first NHS trusts to roll out this service at scale, with thousands of patients already benefiting.
If you have questions about your prescription or the EPS service, please speak to your clinician or the pharmacy team at your appointment.