§ Mrs. CaltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the potential for fraud in the use of electronic transmission of prescriptions. [159107]
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§ Ms Rosie WintertonThree pilot projects on the electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) ran from mid-2002 to mid-2003 and were independently evaluated by the Sowerby Centre for Health Informatics at the University of Newcastle. An essential part of this was a full security analysis to assess potential risks and threats, including fraud, and ensuring appropriate countermeasures were put in place.
ETP is now being taken forward as part of the national programme for information technology. The lessons learned on fraud prevention from the earlier pilots are being incorporated into the design of the national model for ETP.
The NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) is fully involved in the development of the ETP project and will continue to work to ensure that opportunities for fraud are minimised.