Digital Prescribing and Dispensing Pathways programme

The Digital Prescribing and Dispensing Pathways (DPDP) programme focuses on
revolutionising the prescribing and dispensing process in Scotland. It will ultimately replace
the current paper prescription with an end-to-end digital solution, benefitting patients,
practitioners and pharmacists. The initial scope of DPDP will be in-hours fixed General
Practice prescribing and Community Pharmacy dispensing across Scotland.

The benefits:

• an improved patient experience
• safer, more efficient and faster processes for prescribers and dispensers
• multi-professional and multi-location digital prescribing, which will support new
  service models
• support for climate sustainability by reducing the use, transport, scanning and
  destruction of paper

The programme has been commissioned and funded by the Scottish Government. It is led
by the Medicines and Pharmacy division within the CMO directorate in conjunction with
Primary Care and Digital directorates. It is being jointly delivered by NHS National Services
Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland in collaboration with stakeholders across
Scotland.

Design and development of the DPDP solution is progressing through 2022 to 2024. The
aim is to begin implementation for in-practice prescribing and dispensing through mid-2024
to mid-2026.

Dental colleagues are a distinct and important prescribing group in Scotland. It is the aim of
DPDP to incorporate dental prescribing in a future phase of the programme, however a date
has yet to be agreed for this.

For more information on DPDP visit the website or email nss.digitalprescribing@nhs.scot