Prescription services across Northern Ireland are set to transition away from paper systems following the announcement of a new £42 million ePharmacy scheme. The initiative represents a significant component of a broader £102.6 million allocation from the Public Sector Transformation Fund directed toward public sector reform.

To mark the launch, Executive Ministers deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, and Finance Minister John O'Dowd joined Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn MP and NIO Minister Matthew Patrick for a site visit at Carryduff Pharmacy, observing firsthand how the funding will introduce practical, modernised upgrades to frontline care.

Officially designated as the ePharmacy Primary Care Digital Reform Programme, the project will replace existing paper-based workflows with an integrated digital pathway stretching directly from general practitioners to local pharmacies. The transition is engineered to raise efficiency levels, bolster clinical safety, and improve the overall patient experience while reducing administrative pressures across the Health and Social Care network. By cutting down on manual paperwork, the system aims to free up valuable time for GPs to focus on direct patient care.

Welcoming the investment, First Minister Michelle O'Neill said: "Transforming our public services is essential if we are to improve how they work for people across our communities. The £102.6 million Transformation Fund investment, announced by Finance Minister John O'Dowd on Tuesday, will drive greater efficiency across government while helping deliver better services, strengthening healthcare, supporting children and families, supporting our farmers and laying the foundations for wider system reform.

"The ePharmacy Programme is right at the heart of this investment, It will modernise prescriptions, making them quicker, safer and more efficient through a new digital system across GP practices and pharmacies. This is exactly the kind of change we want to see delivering real benefits for people."

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: "Today's visit is about seeing first-hand the positive impact the Transformation Fund can deliver. We are already seeing meaningful change through the first tranche of projects, and it is clear that new initiatives, including this ePharmacy programme, will help make a real difference to people's lives.

"This is about targeted investment where it matters most, improving services, supporting longer-term sustainability, and keeping a clear focus on delivering the transformation people want to see. Pharmacies are a vital part of our health service, and by harnessing digital innovation we can ensure they are better equipped to meet the needs of patients now and in the future and deliver real change that benefits everyone."

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP said: "It was great to visit Carryduff Pharmacy today to hear about how this investment will make a real difference for people in Northern Ireland. Electronic prescribing is a long-overdue modernisation that will make it easier for people to access the medicines and clinical services they need in their local community.

"This is exactly the kind of practical reform that the UK Government is proud to support, and this new investment is from the £235 million Transformation Fund provided by the UK Government to the Executive. I look forward to seeing the benefits it delivers for patients and healthcare professionals right across Northern Ireland." The rollout, which incorporates a modern digital platform to manage clinical services within community settings, is expected to accelerate primary care modernisation across the region. Health officials noted that the framework supports a shift toward a localised neighbourhood model of health and wellbeing for community, primary, and social care. The scale of the transformation is underscored by the fact that over 200,000 individuals visit a Northern Ireland GP surgery every week, with upwards of 45 million prescription items handled within primary care annually.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: "The ePharmacy programme will deliver a safe, seamless and digitally enabled community pharmacy and electronic prescription service, that will genuinely transform patient experience. It will replace paper-based systems, reduce the associated workload and help to ensure the Health and Social Care system is as safe and efficient as can be.

"The programme, which includes a new digital platform to manage the delivery of clinical services in community pharmacies, will rapidly accelerate reform within primary care in Northern Ireland. It will support the move towards a neighbourhood model of health and wellbeing for primary, community and social care, which will deliver greater levels of care for citizens, including children and families, in their communities.

"The scale of opportunity is significant, with over 200,00 million patients visiting a GP Practice in Northern Ireland each week and over 45 million prescription items prescribed and supplied annually within primary care."

The wider financial package includes a recently announced £71.2 million injection specifically for the health sector from the Public Sector Transformation Fund. The remaining £29.2 million is earmarked for a targeted initiative focused on early intervention and enhanced support for vulnerable children and families. In total, the Finance Department is backing six distinct cross-departmental projects to drive structural efficiencies, deliver long-term savings, strengthen healthcare, and support families alongside the agri-food sector.

Finance Minister John O'Dowd said: "I was pleased to visit Carryduff Pharmacy to hear how the ePharmacy project, funded through the Transformation Fund, will modernise services and help pharmacists deliver more efficient patient care.

"Our public services must adapt to a changing society, and transformation is how we drive progress. Earlier this week, I announced over £102 million to fund six projects across a number of departments to drive reform and deliver greater efficiency and long-term savings, helping to strengthen healthcare and support families and the agri-food sector."

Gerard Greene, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland, said: "The announcement of this significant investment in the e-Pharmacy programme is welcomed and will enable a significant step forward to be taken in the digitalisation of community pharmacy. Current paper-based processes will be replaced by an I.T. infrastructure that will benefit patients and modernise pharmacy processes. This is an important first step that will enable the Department to fast-track e-prescriptions and the record keeping associated with pharmacy services that are provided to patients in Northern Ireland."

Chair of Royal College of GPs NI, Dr Ursula Mason said: "I very much welcome the rollout of electronic prescribing as an important and long-overdue step forward for patients and GPs across Northern Ireland. E‑prescribing is a step change for safety, efficiency and access. It will reduce errors, streamline processes, and give patients faster, more convenient access to their medicines.

"Crucially, it will also cut some administrative burden on GPs, freeing up valuable time to focus on patient care, where we want our efforts to be focused. E-prescribing will also support climate and sustainability goals by reducing paper use and cutting carbon emissions across General Practice and the wider health system, helping to reduce environmental impact while continuing to deliver high-quality patient care."