Electronic Prescribing into North East London Foundation Trust’s Intensive Support Team (IST)
The team at North East London Foundation Trust’s Intensive Support Team (IST) are enhancing patient safety and efficiency after implementing CLEO EPS electronic prescribing. The service provides intensive support for those with more complex needs and offers rapid and intensive support.
The challenge – why the team wanted to implement electronic prescribing.
The IST operates as a virtual ward and provides intensive support to patients in the community with learning disabilities and autism. Ensuring timely and safe medication prescribing is crucial for people in the service, in order to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital admissions, however the team were reliant on traditional paper-based prescribing methods and processes. This was leading to more medication prescribing administration, which in turn was leading to inefficiencies and delays in treatment initiation.
"We are finding CLEO EPS really easy to use and effective. We did some training sessions for the prescribers, pharmacy teams and IST clinicians to ensure smooth adoption and effective use of CLEO EPS. People found it easy to use and we also had regular audits and feedback.”
The solution:
The team decided to implement digital prescribing solution CLEO EPS within the Intensive Support Team in January 2024, in order to streamline prescribing, enhance medication safety and reduce the potential of errors. CLEO EPS replaces paper-based FP10 processes, allowing prescribers to issue prescriptions electronically and seamlessly integrate with pharmacy workflows to a pharmacy of a patient’s choice. As the team often needs to issue urgent prescriptions at short notice and operates as a virtual ward, the solution was a natural fit.
Outcomes and impact:
Since the team went live with CLEO EPS in January 2024, the solution has demonstrated significant improvements in patient safety and clinical efficiency, including:
Reduction in medication errors: CLEO EPS has enhanced accuracy in prescribing, reducing transcription errors and improving medication reconciliation processes.
Faster prescription processing: Electronic prescribing has reduced delays, ensuring timely administration of medications to patients in the virtual ward setting.
Improved staff confidence and satisfaction: Clinical teams have reported increased confidence in medication management, with positive feedback highlighting the ease of use and safety benefits.
Enhanced clinical safety with secure transfer or patient data.
Reduction in administrative time previously spent on paper-based prescriptions, improving efficiency for prescribers and pharmacists.
Reduced risk of medication errors and associated hospital admissions, improving patient safety and optimising NHS resources.
Faster access to medications, leading to improved patient outcomes and reduced
A clinical pharmacist who uses the solution says: “CLEO EPS has made prescribing much safer and more efficient for our team. It has significantly improved communication between prescribers and pharmacy, reducing errors.”
A Senior Nurse says: “The new system has significantly reduced the time it takes to get medication to patients, ensuring they receive the right treatment without unnecessary delays.”
Consultant Psychiatrist “A fantastic step forward in patient safety. CLEO EPS has transformed how we manage prescriptions and reduced the burden on staff.”
The successful implementation of CLEO EPS within the IST has led to measurable improvements in patient safety, reduced medication errors and enhanced workflow efficiencies for healthcare professionals. By embedding electronic prescribing within the virtual ward model, this initiative has not only improved patient care but also demonstrated long-term cost-effectiveness and efficiency, laying the groundwork for wider adoption across community healthcare settings.
