New bid to cut prescription fraud

The new system aims to cut prescription fraud

A new computer system is being introduced in an effort to stop prescription fraud in Northern Ireland.

It is hoped it will save the Department of Health £4m a year by catching people not entitled to free prescriptions who are claiming them.

The system will do this by cross-referencing patient and prescription information against social security and other records.

It should be in community pharmacies within the next two years.

Hewlett-Packard Northern Ireland has signed an eight-year contract with the department to implement the system known as the Electronic Prescribing and Eligibility System (EPES).

The Department of Health's Paul Simpson, said: "I very much welcome this.

"EPES is about modernising the prescribing and dispensing process to improve patient safety, reduce administration costs and reduce fraud in the provision of health care in Northern Ireland."

It is estimated the health service currently loses between £7m and £8m a year through patients falsely claiming free prescriptions.