How it works
- As soon as a prescription gets ready, the patient receives a text message along with a unique QR code.
- He can visit the Quick Collect kiosk and scan the code - no need to wait in the queue.
- That scan instantly alerts the pharmacy team, and a member of staff calls the patient to the counter once the prescription is retrieved
- They also provide clinical or counselling needs, if required, and the patient can go home
Gompels Pharmacy has introduced Quick Collect, which has made patients' lives easier by transforming how they need to pick up their medicines, while retaining the human touch.
At its outlet at Spa Medical Centre in Melksham, a Quick Collect kiosk has been set up in the waiting area.
As soon as a prescription gets ready, the patient receives a text message along with a unique QR code.
He can visit the Quick Collect kiosk and scan the code - no need to stand in the queue.
That scan instantly alerts the pharmacy team, and a member of staff calls the patient to the counter once the prescription is retrieved.
They also provide clinical or counselling needs, if required, and the patient can go home.
The whole process takes a fraction of the time a traditional queue system would take.
For those who don’t use smartphones, they can come straight to the counter.
Gompels still retains the human touch and face-to-face interaction, but has made the medicine collection hassle-free.
According to Paddy Gompels, managing director at Gompels Pharmacy, "We’ve invested in text messaging and digital communication for years to keep patients informed.
"Around 15 years ago, we even built our own SMS system to integrate with our pharmacy software at the time. Today we use Titan’s integrated SMS to let patients know when their medicines are ready."
He said Quick Collect was the "natural next step".
"If we were already telling patients when to come in and issuing QR codes, why not use that same technology to check them in when they arrive?"
Gompels said the idea was inspired partly by the Pharmacy Show and partly by outside healthcare - think Argos or Screwfix, where click-and-collect and ticketing keep busy counters flowing.
We simply asked: “If they can do it, why can’t we?”
Advantages
He said that being a busy medical centre, the waiting room can get crowded. "Long queues aren’t just annoying - they’re stressful and not ideal for privacy."
Listing the advantages of Quick Collect, Gompels said it reduces visible queues; smoothens demand throughout the day; and “rewards” patients who turn up only after they’ve been notified their prescription is ready.
He said his pharmacy team was enthused by the idea, and the implementation was quick and straightforward.
The patient feedback has been "overwhelmingly positive", with around a third of them already using the system, and the uptake is growing.
They have shorter waits – sit in comfort instead of standing in a queue, and there is an air of certainty - no more turning up to find a prescription still being prepared.
Moreover, they continue to get the personal touch. "We continue to speak to every patient where needed - to check understanding, answer questions and offer advice.
That relationship-based care remains a core USP for community pharmacy," he said.
Behind-the-counter benefits
Quick Collect has also made life easier for the pharmacy team.
As patients tend to come in only after they’ve been informed that their prescription is ready, there are far fewer “just checking” enquiries.
There are fewer interruptions, better focus, less stress, and safer, more efficient workflows
In a climate where community pharmacies across the UK face rising workloads and tight resources, these measures – multiplied over hundreds of patients each week – really add up.
A recent report by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) had stated that community pharmacies across England dispensed a record 1.16 billion prescription items in 2024/25, while the number of community pharmacies has fallen to 11,098 – the lowest level since 2015/16.
What Next for Quick Collect?
Gompels said, "For us, Quick Collect is a platform, not a finished product."
He said the next step is to use the kiosk for clinic check-ins as well as prescription collections.
"We’re running an increasingly busy mix of NHS and private services across multiple consultation rooms - from travel vaccinations and microsuction to prescribing clinics."
This will allow patients to check in at the screen, complete pre-appointment forms, and provide key information in advance.
This would help streamline the clinic side of the business, freeing up clinicians to focus on direct patient care.
"We’re also exploring how the kiosk could integrate with future automation. When not in use, it could display health campaigns, service information or targeted messages – and in time, potentially link with robotic dispensing for an even more seamless 'order, prepare, collect' journey, he said.
Gompels remarked, "Quick Collect shows you don’t have to choose between speed and service. With the right ideas and a committed team, you can deliver both."
