An investment of more than £100 million has been welcomed by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt to set up a new ePharmacy programme and an initiative providing earlier intervention and stronger support for families and children in need.

Both schemes secured backing through the Public Service Transformation Bid, which allocated:

- £42 million for ePharmacy and;

- £29.2 million for Together for Families.

The National Lottery Community Fund has also committed an additional £30 million to the Together for Families project - its first strategic investment of this kind in Northern Ireland.

The ePharmacy Primary Care Digital Reform Programme is set to introduce an electronic prescription transfer system, completely replacing traditional paper prescriptions. Under the new digital framework, prescriptions will be transferred electronically from prescribers, such as GPs or Out of Hours services, straight to community pharmacies to streamline the process for patients.

Furthermore, a fresh digital platform will oversee the delivery of clinical services to the public via community pharmacies. This is intended to enhance patient safety, broaden access to care, and bring medical treatment closer to local residents.

Together for Families represents a new, transformational approach to supporting children and families. The strategy marks a clear shift toward stronger family support, earlier intervention, and more joined-up operations to ensure that families can easily access the appropriate help in the correct place and at the right time.

Boasting system-wide backing, the model was designed in close partnership between the voluntary, community, and statutory sectors. It establishes a coordinated framework to implement consistent change across the region. Discussing the ePharmacy initiative, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: "With over 45 million items prescribed and dispended annually across Primary Care in Northern Ireland, transitioning from paper prescriptions to a digital system will genuinely transform patient experience. This project and the new digital platform will help to make Health and Social Care as safe as possible, accelerate primary care reform and help support our move towards a Neighbourhood model of care for primary, community and social care."

Regarding the Together for Families scheme, Minister Nesbitt added: "This initiative is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the life chances of children and families across Northern Ireland. It reflects a shared determination to work differently, bringing partners together across the system with a clear focus on delivering better outcomes for children and families and the delivery of support in a way which is seamless, trauma-informed, non-judgmental and, above all, compassionate.

"I want to express my sincere thanks for the support provided by the National Lottery Community Fund, which has committed half of the funding required for implementation. That is a significant vote of confidence in both the ambition of Together for Families and the power of partnership between the statutory, community and voluntary sectors to deliver meaningful change."

Kate Beggs, The National Lottery Community Fund Northern Ireland Director, stated: "Across Northern Ireland, many families are facing increasing pressures, from financial hardship and child poverty, to rising mental health needs.

"Too often support only reaches families once challenges have reached crisis point. At its heart, this investment is about helping children and families access support earlier, through trusted community organisations and effective partnerships across services. The voluntary and community sector plays a vital role in this, bringing deep local knowledge and strong relationships that help families get the support they need."