MARCH 2024 NEWSLETTER

LATEST NEWS

DIGITAL PHARMACY SYSTEM HELPS FREE UP NEARLY 26,000 GP APPOINTMENTS ACROSS WALES IN ONE MONTH

Nearly 26,000 GP appointments were freed up in February alone thanks to a digital system that’s available to all pharmacies across Wales.

The Common Ailments Service supports community pharmacies to provide services for patients across Wales and aims to free up GP appointments for people with more complex needs. Under the scheme, free treatment and advice can be offered for 27 common conditions including sore throats, colic and chickenpox.

It is part of the wider Choose Pharmacy service – a digital application developed by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) that is enabling pharmacists to access patients’ summary medical records and share details of pharmacy consultations with the patients’ GPs digitally.

Read more on the DHCW website

POSITIVE SOLUTIONS TESTS ELECTRONIC PRESCRIPTION SERVICE (EPS) IN WALES

Positive Solutions has become the latest pharmacy system supplier to develop and test technology to help deliver an Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in Wales.

Positive Solutions, whose software is used in pharmacies across Wales including Well and Morrisons, is developing its system to enable it to be ready to receive prescriptions digitally rather than on paper. The software has completed the testing environment phase and will soon enter a testing phase at a pharmacy in south Wales. If successful, it will be introduced in partner pharmacies as part of a phased roll out of EPS across Wales from summer 2024.

The introduction of EPS across Wales enables GPs to send prescriptions electronically to the patient’s choice of community pharmacy, without the need for a green paper form.

Read more on the DHCW website

BIG DATA FUND WINNERS SHOWCASE INNOVATION IN HEALTH AND CARE

Last month, colleagues from health and care organisations across Wales came together for the latest Big Data Event, showcasing innovative projects made possible by the National Data Resource (NDR) programme. The event was held on Wednesday, February 21 2024, and was hosted by the NDR programme’s Advanced Analytics team, in partnership with Life Sciences Hub Wales.

The Big Data Event series has been running on a bi-monthly basis since its launch in March 2023. Each event showcases a series of projects to highlight areas of interest and opportunity for data and analytics, with the focus this time on recent innovative big data projects. The online event provided an exclusive platform for innovators to showcase the impact of their work, and how this is revolutionising healthcare through data-driven initiatives. From enhanced patient care to streamlined processes, their achievements underscore the transformative power of big data across the health and care sector. Attendees were treated to a series of insightful presentations that delved into the heart of innovative data solutions.

Read more on the DHCW website

FURTHER UPDATES

BRUSSELS SHOWCASE FOR DHCW RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Rachael Powell (Associate Director of Information, Intelligence and Research) and Rachel Gemine (Head of Research and Innovation) joined colleagues from the Welsh Government Office Brussels, Life Science Hub Wales, MediWales, WG Medtech and Diagnostics Cluster and representative companies, for a visit to Brussels last week to explore opportunities between the Welsh Life Sciences ecosystem and MEDVIA.

Read more on the DHCW website

DHCW EXECUTIVES RECOGNISED AS PROFESSORS OF PRACTICE

Congratulations to Rhidian Hurle, Executive Medical Director and Ifan Evans, Executive Director of Strategy, who earlier this month were appointed as Professors of Practice by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), to support the development of programmes and research responding to current and future needs of employers and society.