Case Study
Electronic signing of prescriptions at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
A look into our partnership with Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, who deliver specialist care to patients across multiple therapy areas.
Moving to electronic signing of prescriptions removed paperwork bottlenecks for the clinical team, speeding up authorisation and giving patients a clearer, faster route to their medication.
1. PHP’s challenge
Prior to adopting E-Sign technology, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust faced several challenges with their prescription process.
On average, there was a delay of 11.18 days between a prescription being signed and its arrival at PHP. Reliance on physical documents led to administrative bottlenecks, increased the risk of errors and consumed significant staff time.
The paper-intensive process also contributed to a larger carbon footprint, conflicting with the organisation’s sustainability goals. These issues affected operational efficiency and had the potential to impact patient care due to delays in medication dispensing.
2. PHP’s solution
In response to these challenges, PHP introduced an E-Sign solution in December 2024, following a phased approach designed to build confidence across clinical teams.
The project commenced with the Gastroenterology department, allowing the team to assess system functionality and address initial concerns. Sophie Lidstone from Portsmouth Hospitals played a key role during this phase, supporting coordination and process refinement for a smooth transition to digital workflows.
By January 2025, the E-Sign system was extended to Dermatology and Rheumatology departments. Prescribers could digitally sign and transmit prescriptions directly to PHP, eliminating physical document handling and ensuring prescriptions were received immediately upon signing.
3. The results
By February, the average time from prescription signing to receipt at PHP decreased from 11.18 days to just 1.9 days. These outcomes align with broader research showing that e-prescribing reduces prescribing errors, increases efficiency and helps save on healthcare costs.
- average time from prescription signing to receipt at PHP, down from 11.18 days.
- 1.9 days
- of prescriptions received within one working day, up from approximately 3.5%.
- 59%
- improvement in monthly carbon savings, rising from 7.2 kg to 9.7 kg through reduced paper usage.
- 33%
Implementation highlights
How was the rollout phased?
The E-Sign solution launched in Gastroenterology in December 2024 before expanding to Dermatology and Rheumatology in January 2025, allowing teams to refine workflows before wider adoption.
What changed for prescribers?
Prescribers could digitally sign and transmit prescriptions directly to PHP, removing manual handling and ensuring prescriptions were received as soon as they were signed.
What sustainability gains were achieved?
Reducing reliance on paper prescriptions delivered measurable carbon savings and supported the trust’s wider sustainability objectives.
“The successful implementation of E-Sign technology with Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust exemplifies our dedication to excellence, sustainability and continuous improvement in the healthcare sector.”
Why Personal Homecare Pharmacy?
PHP is committed to leveraging innovative, technology-driven solutions that enhance patient care and operational efficiency. Our proactive approach ensures healthcare providers can deliver timely and accurate services to their patients.
By combining secure e-signature workflows with responsive homecare delivery, we help NHS teams remove administrative friction and keep treatment pathways moving.
Together, we deliver better care.
When you work with the right team, everything runs more smoothly. By partnering with Personal Homecare Pharmacy, you can be confident that medication will be with your patients when it’s meant to be, so they aren’t left waiting, and you’re not left chasing.
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