Supporting Digital ADHD Care: How CLEO EPS Delivers Safer, Faster Prescribing
As demand for autism and ADHD assessment and services rises, patients want to be provided with care that is clinically robust, digitally enabled and aligned with NHS standards.
For organisations operating across remote and community-based settings, prescribing can present a particular challenge, especially where controlled medication is involved.
The Owl Centre offers online therapy services, autism and ADHD assessments and uses digital health technologies to support long-distance clinical care, education and health administration. As medication is commonly recommended as part of NHS ADHD treatment, secure, efficient prescribing is a critical part of the service. To support this, The Owl Centre has adopted CLEO EPS, the standalone electronic prescribing solution from CLEO Systems, integrating it alongside its own internally developed digital clinical system.
Why change was needed
The Owl Centre had already developed its own digital platform to support therapy delivery and neurodevelopmental assessments. However, they were relying on paper prescriptions when prescribing medication following ADHD assessments.
Clinicians were required to print, post or courier prescriptions to patients, creating delays, additional cost and administrative burden. There was also the ongoing risk of prescriptions being delayed or lost – a particular concern given that ADHD medications are controlled drugs and require high levels of security and governance.
The team identified a clear requirement for a standalone electronic prescribing solution that could dovetail into their existing systems without duplication of effort. As prescribing was limited to secondary care ADHD pathways, with a local formulary defined by the ICB and no requirement for out-of-hours services, the solution needed to be focused, secure and easy to adopt.
Why CLEO EPS was the right fit
Following positive feedback from peers, The Owl Centre explored CLEO EPS from CLEO Systems. As a standalone electronic prescribing solution used across secondary care outpatient and community settings, CLEO EPS aligned closely with the Centre’s clinical and operational needs.
CLEO EPS enables clinicians to generate and send prescriptions electronically to a patient’s nominated community pharmacy, removing the need for paper FP10s altogether. It supports secure transfer of patient data and offers a prescribing workflow familiar to clinicians with NHS backgrounds.
Working collaboratively with CLEO Systems, The Owl Centre implemented CLEO EPS and clinicians now prescribe electronically, with prescriptions sent instantly to the patient’s chosen pharmacy.
Supporting the ADHD prescribing pathway
CLEO EPS supports the full ADHD prescribing journey. Following assessment, clinicians initiate prescribing and manage the watchful titration period, reviewing outcomes and symptom improvement. Where medication is not effective, alternative options can be prescribed. Once patients are stabilised, they are transferred back to their GP under shared care arrangements.
By removing paper-based processes, CLEO EPS allows clinicians to focus on clinical decision-making rather than administration, while maintaining the governance required for controlled medications.
Charlotte Forsyth, Chief Commercial Officer at The Owl Centre, says: “We found using CLEO EPS very intuitive and easy. Most of our prescribers come from NHS backgrounds, so it’s been a really positive project with great outcomes.”
Benefits for clinicians and patients
Since implementing CLEO EPS, The Owl Centre has seen a clear reduction in risk and operational overhead. There is no longer a need to post or courier prescriptions, eliminating associated costs and delays. Lost prescriptions are no longer an issue, and prescription security has been significantly strengthened.
Patient experience has also improved. Prescriptions are now issued in line with NHS expectations, allowing patients to collect medication when and where it suits them, without unnecessary waiting or travel.
Charlotte adds: “The implementation was very efficient and we were supported throughout. There’s a real increase in efficiency, and patients much prefer this way of receiving prescriptions.”
A scalable model for specialist services
The Owl Centre’s experience demonstrates how CLEO EPS can support specialist ADHD services to operate safely, efficiently and at scale. By integrating a standalone electronic prescribing solution alongside its own digital systems, the organisation has modernised prescribing without disrupting established workflows.
For providers delivering secondary care ADHD services, CLEO EPS offers a proven route to safer prescribing, improved patient experience and more connected digital care.
