NSW Health

Electronic prescribing

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4 1/9
6/20/23, 12:23 AM Electronic prescribing - Pharmaceutical services

The Australian Government, in collaboration with states and territories, has accelerated the delivery
of electronic prescribing to help protect people most at-risk from COVID-19. Electronic prescribing,
where available in the community, will provide patients with a choice to receive either an electronic or
a paper prescription from their prescriber. Visit the Electronic Prescriptions
[https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/get-started-with-digital-health/electronic-prescriptions] website
for more information.

An exemption [https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Documents/exemption-
eprescriptions-sep20.pdf] from the NSW Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation has been
granted to allow electronic prescriptions to be legally issued and dispensed in NSW.

On this page
1. Information for software vendors
2. Information for prescribers
3. Information for community pharmacists

Information for software vendors

To participate in electronic prescribing, software vendors are required to meet the requirements in the
Electronic Prescribing Conformance Profile developed by the Australian Digital Health Agency
(ADHA). The ADHA publishes information for vendors on the Electronic Prescribing Conformance
Process [https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/resources/articles/electronic-prescribing-
conformance-process] .

NSW requirements

For an electronic prescription to be legally valid in NSW, all systems participating in the prescribing,
transmission and dispensing of the prescription must be listed on the ADHA Electronic Prescribing
Conformance Register [https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-us/policies-privacy-and-
reporting/registers] with a Conformance ID. Such a prescription is then termed a 'Conformant
Electronic Prescription'.

Specifications identified in the Electronic Prescribing Participating Software Conformance Profile

[https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/specifications/ehealth-foundations/ep-3733-2022] as having
a jurisdictional requirement are provided below and must be met.

PRES-13

Electronic prescriptions are accepted in all circumstances where systems are conformant (i.e. each
participating system has a Conformance ID) and the prescription contains all required details (see
PRES-17).

PRES-17
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4 2/9
6/20/23, 12:23 AM Electronic prescribing - Pharmaceutical services

For an electronic prescription to be legally valid for dispensing in NSW it must contain the details
listed below. This list incorporates prescription requirements under the Poisons and Therapeutic
Goods Regulation 2008. (Where possible, Reference IDs from the Conformance Profile are listed).

Conformance ID of the system used to create the prescription (PRES-83)

Healthcare Provider Identifier – Organisation (HPI-O) of the practice or organisation from which
the prescription is issued (PRES-18)
Healthcare Provider Identifier – Individual (HPI-I) of the prescriber (PRES-83) (see Note 1)
unique prescription number for the prescription (PRES-83)
prescriber name, practice address and telephone number
date (and time) of issue
patient’s full name (first name and last name)
patient's address (PRES-18) (or email address or mobile phone number but only in specific
circumstances - see Note 2)
patient’s date of birth (PRES-18)
name, strength and form (if not readily apparent) and quantity of the medicine (PRES-18)
adequate directions for use (including route of administration if not readily apparent) (PRES-18)
number of repeat supplies authorised, if any (PRES-18)
interval between any repeats (PRES-18) (see Note 3)
the NSW authorisation reference number (PRES-18A) (see Note 4)
prescriber specialist qualification (PRES-18) (see Note 5)
annotation with the words “issued under clause 37 of the NSW Poisons and Therapeutic Goods
Regulation” or similar (see Note 5)

Notes

1. See the Electronic Prescribing Participating Software Conformance Profile

[https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/specifications/ehealth-foundations/ep-3733-2022] for
requirements for Open PDS and Direct PDS.
2. In the case where the prescription is for azithromycin for the treatment of chlamydia in the
partner of the presenting patient, email address or mobile phone number of the partner is
accepted as an alternative to the physical address.
3. The interval between any repeats must be stated for medicines in Schedule 8 (S8) of the Poisons
Standard [https://www.tga.gov.au/publication/poisons-standard-susmp] ('controlled drugs' or
'drugs of addiction') and Schedule 4 medicines listed in Appendix B of the Poisons and
Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 (S4B) (e.g. anabolic/androgenic steroids).
The interval between each repeat supply must be clearly specified (e.g. stated as number of
days).
4. The NSW authorisation reference number (known as the 'NSW Authority number') is distinct
from, and independent of, the 'authority code' associated with an Authority PBS prescription for3/9
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4
6/20/23, 12:23 AM Electronic prescribing - Pharmaceutical services

restricted medicines.

The NSW Authority number is issued by the NSW Ministry of Health and is alphanumeric in
format, and may be prefixed with a text string of letters/characters, including 'AU', 'CNS', 's28c',
'CL', 'RA', and 'PG(T)'. Examples are AU123456789, RA998. 
a Type A drug of addiction (see clause 122 of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation
2008), i.e. Schedule 8 psychostimulants and pharmacist-compounded Schedule 8 medicines
a Schedule 4 (S4) medicine listed in clause 37 of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods
Regulation 2008 (e.g. clomiphene, isotretinoin) (or as specified in Note 5)

5. For S4 medicines listed in clause 37 of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 (e.g.
clomiphene, isotretinoin) the prescription must include either:
the prescriber’s specialist qualification (abbreviation is acceptable and could be up to 12
alphabetical characters) AND the text “issued under clause 37 of the Poisons and
Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008” or words to that effect, OR
the NSW Authority number (see Note 4).
Some requirements for paper prescriptions do not apply to Conformant Electronic Prescriptions.

Prescribers of Conformant Electronic Prescriptions do not need to comply with the following paper
prescription requirements:

handwriting and hand signature on the prescription

underlining and initialing of any dose that could be regarded as dangerous or unusual
for S8 medicines, the quantity to be dispensed written in words as well as figures.

Pharmacists dispensing Conformant Electronic Prescriptions are exempted from the following paper
prescription requirements:

endorse in ink:
the date of dispensing
the pharmacy address
the prescription reference number
the word 'CANCELLED' where no valid repeat supplies remain

keep S4B and S8 prescriptions in hardcopy

store S4B and S8 hardcopy prescriptions separately

PRES-23

Under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008, a person issuing a prescription for a
Schedule 4 medicine listed in Appendix D of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008
[https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/sch4d.aspx] (S4D) or a S8 medicine must
keep a record of it for a period of at least two (2) years.

Medical records otherwise must be kept as required under the Health Practitioner Regulation
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4 4/9
6/20/23, 12:23 AM Electronic prescribing - Pharmaceutical services

National Law. They should be retained in a retrievable format and readable state for their minimum
required retention period.

PRES-24

All NSW required details (see PRES-17) shall be displayed.

Electronic prescriptions should be displayed in a similar manner to paper prescriptions.

DISP-4

While there is no requirement for each dispenser to login for each dispense transaction, the
pharmacist authorising a dispense event must ensure their identity is recorded against each dispense
event, for example, by entering their initials before each dispense event.

DISP-33

The NSW Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 has no mandatory requirement to record
receipt of supply in the dispensing system.

For opioid substitution therapy, the pharmacist may record that the dose has been received by the
patient.

DISP-34

All records must be retrievable in human readable format immediately by any pharmacist in charge at
any time at the premises where the prescription was dispensed and retained for two (2) years from
the date of dispensing.

DISP-36

The dispense record must contain:

details of the prescription (see PRES-17)

the date (and time) on which the prescription was dispensed
the name (first name and last name) of the pharmacist who dispensed the prescription (that is,
the pharmacist who personally dispensed the prescription)
the pharmacy name and address

All dispense records must be retrievable in human readable format immediately by any pharmacist in
charge at any time at the premises where the prescription was dispensed and retained for two (2)
years from the date of dispensing.

DISP-51

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4 5/9
6/20/23, 12:23 AM Electronic prescribing - Pharmaceutical services

Records (prescribing and dispensing) must be searchable, filterable and retrievable by categories
including by patient, by prescriber, by drug, by legal category (at least S8, S4B, S4D, and S4, and
optionally S3, S2, and unscheduled).

DISP-50

PRES-17 provides a list of prescription details required to be displayed to the dispensing pharmacist.

MI-10

Records must be immediately retrievable in human readable format at the premises and retained for
two (2) years.

MI-10A

Records (prescribing and dispensing) must be searchable, filterable and retrievable by categories
including by patient, by prescriber, by drug, by legal category (at least S8, S4B, S4D, and S4, and
optionally S3, S2, and unscheduled).

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my software approved for use in NSW?

A separate approval from NSW Health is not required where a system conforms under the Electronic
Prescribing Conformance Assessment Scheme and has been listed on the Electronic Prescribing
Register of Conformance with a Conformance ID.

Send enquiries to MOH-PharmaceuticalServices@health.nsw.gov.au [mailto:MOH-

PharmaceuticalServices@health.nsw.gov.au] .

Information for prescribers

Electronic prescribing is permitted for both PBS and non-PBS prescriptions in the community where
all systems participating in the prescribing, transmission and dispensing of the prescription conform
under the national Electronic Prescribing Conformance Assessment Scheme
[https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/electronic-prescribing/conformance-process] . If your
prescribing system is conformant it will be listed on the Electronic Prescribing Register of
Conformance [https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-us/policies-privacy-and-reporting/registers]
with a Conformance ID. Your software vendor can also provide you with your system's Conformance ID
if it has one.

Prescribers must ensure that the electronic prescription created by their prescribing system contains
all the required details (see PRES-17 above). The requirements in NSW are the same as those for
paper prescriptions with a small number of exceptions. While not required for a paper prescription,
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4 6/9
6/20/23, 12:23 AM Electronic prescribing - Pharmaceutical services

patient date of birth is required for an electronic prescription. Prescribers of conformant electronic
prescriptions do not need to comply with the following paper prescription requirements:

handwriting and hand signature on the prescription

underlining and initialing of any dose that could be regarded as dangerous or unusual
for Schedule 8 (S8) medicines, the quantity to be dispensed written in words as well as figures

If a prescribing system does not have a designated field for a required detail (e.g. NSW Authority
number, which is required for certain S8 medicine prescriptions), a prescriber must ensure the detail
is entered into the system so it will be displayed to the dispensing pharmacist. A pharmacist can
dispense an electronic prescription only if all required prescription information is displayed. Contact
your software vendor if you have any concerns or queries about how to enter details in your
prescribing system.

Electronic prescriptions are not valid for veterinary practitioners.

For more information on electronic prescribing visit the Australian Digital Health Agency's Electronic
Prescribing - For Prescribers [https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/healthcare-providers/initiatives-and-
programs/electronic-prescribing/for-prescribers] .

Information for community pharmacists

When dispensing an electronic prescription, community pharmacists (both the pharmacy proprietor
and the dispensing pharmacist) must ensure that all of the systems participating in the prescribing,
transmission and dispensing of the prescription conform under the national Electronic Prescribing
Conformance Assessment Scheme [https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/electronic-
prescribing/conformance-process] and that the electronic prescription has the details required for it
to be legally valid in NSW (see PRES-17 above). Pharmacists should be particularly vigilant that the
on-screen display shows repeat intervals and the NSW authorisation reference number ('NSW
Authority number') where they are required (see PRES-17 above).

A pharmacist should not assume that dispensing a prescription is legal merely because the
prescription has been digitally transferred.

Key things to note

Under electronic prescribing, a prescriber gives a paper token or sends a digital token (also
known as ‘Evidence of Prescription’) to the patient or his/her authorised agent. The prescriber
does not send it directly to a pharmacy, unless the patient or his/her authorised agent has
requested this to be done for one or more of his/her prescriptions. The prescriber should
document the request.
The paper or digital token presented to the pharmacy is not a legal prescription. It is used by the
pharmacist to ‘unlock’ the legal prescription so it can be dispensed.
A prescription that is created, transmitted or dispensed from a system that is not listed on the
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4 7/9
Electronic Prescribing Conformance Register [https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-
6/20/23, 12:23 AM Electronic prescribing - Pharmaceutical services

us/policies-privacy-and-reporting/registers] with a Conformance ID is not legally valid for

dispensing.

Requirements for electronic prescriptions

The requirements for electronic prescriptions are the same as those for paper prescriptions with a
small number of exceptions. Patient date of birth is required for electronic prescriptions. Prescribers
do not need to hand write or hand sign the prescription, nor underline or initial any dose that could be
regarded as dangerous or unusual, nor for S8 medicines, write the quantity to be dispensed in words
and figures.

Pharmacists who dispense conformant electronic prescriptions are exempted from the requirement
to:

endorse in ink:
the date of dispensing
the pharmacy address
the prescription reference number
the word 'CANCELLED' where no valid repeat supplies remain

keep S4B and S8 prescriptions in hardcopy

store S4B and S8 hardcopy prescriptions separately

Pharmacists are exempted from these requirements because conformant systems record the date of
dispensing, the pharmacy address and the prescription reference number, and securely transmit and
retain details of prescriptions which are easily searchable. Repeats of conformant electronic
prescriptions for S4B and S8 medicines, therefore, do not have to be dispensed at the same pharmacy
which dispensed the original prescription. A patient can take the new token for their repeat
prescription to a different pharmacy if they choose so.

When dispensing electronic prescriptions, pharmacists should be particularly vigilant that the on-
screen display shows repeat intervals where required. A prescription for a S4B or S8 medicine with
repeat/s specified must show an interval for repeats. If no repeat interval appears, directions for any
repeat supplies are invalid and no repeats can be dispensed. The pharmacist may only dispense a
single supply. The prescription should be electronically cancelled to prevent a new token from being
issued.

Pharmacists should also be vigilant that the NSW Authority number is displayed where it is required
(see PRES-17 above). The Authority number must be displayed for a prescription for:

a S8 psychostimulant (e.g. dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate)

a pharmacist-compounded S8 medicine
a S4 medicine listed in clause 37 of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 (e.g.
clomiphene, isotretinoin), unless the prescriber belongs to an authorised specialist group. In this
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4 8/9
case, instead of including the Authority number the prescriber may include their relevant
6/20/23, 12:23 AM Electronic prescribing - Pharmaceutical services

specialist qualification and the words “issued under clause 37 of the Poisons Regulation” or
words to that effect.

Electronic prescriptions are not valid for veterinary practitioners.

Prescriber and patient identity for Schedule 8 prescriptions

The Electronic Prescribing Conformance Assessment Scheme
[https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/electronic-prescribing/conformance-process] has safeguards
to ensure the dispensing pharmacist can be confident in the identity of the prescriber issuing the
conformant electronic prescription.

For conformant electronic prescriptions for S8 medicines that include all required details, a
pharmacist does not need to contact the prescriber to verify the prescription where the pharmacist
does not know the patient. If a pharmacist has doubt about the identity of the prescriber or any other
aspect of the prescription or the patient’s treatment he/she should contact the prescriber directly.

Validity of tokens
Pharmacists must be confident the token presented by the patient or his/her authorised agent has not
been fraudulently obtained or altered. Where the pharmacist has concerns, the same steps as used
for paper prescriptions are appropriate, including sighting the patient’s or agent’s identification
document/s (e.g. photo driver licence) and/or contacting the prescriber. If the token for a S8 or S4D
prescription has been altered or fraudulently obtained, the electronic prescription should be
cancelled to make the token invalid and unable to be used by any person. The Police should be
informed immediately.

For more information on electronic prescribing visit the Australian Digital Health Agency's Electronic
Prescribing - For Dispensers [https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/get-started-with-digital-
health/electronic-prescriptions/for-dispensers] .

Current as at: Thursday 30 March 2023

Contact page owner: Pharmaceutical Services

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/Pages/electronic-prescribing.aspx#bookmark4 9/9