People in England will now get alerts through the NHS App on their smartwatch or mobile phones when their prescription is ready to be collected.
The update is available from nearly 2,500 chemists across England. It includes every ASDA and Boots pharmacy store.
People just have to enable push alerts in the NHS App to receive the notifications. They will also be able to find out more details on the status of their prescription order within the NHS App.
The ‘Amazon-style’ prescription tracking feature in the NHS App, launched last year, has been used by nearly 2.9 million people.
Around one in three pharmacies in England – over 3,200 stores – are now offering the prescription tracking feature in the app, which has been used over 9 million times since it went live last year.
According to NHS, the NHS App has more than 39 million registered users.
Rob Thompson, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer at NHS England, said: “The NHS App’s prescription tracking feature has been incredibly popular since we launched it last year, and we’re now making it even easier to find out when your prescription is ready.”
Health Innovation Minister, James Frith, said: “This is a practical example of how digital technology can make a difference to people’s everyday experience of the NHS, while also helping to reduce unnecessary calls and free up valuable time for pharmacy staff to focus on supporting patients."
Sector reactions
National Pharmacy Association Chief Executive Henry Gregg said: "This is an important step forward in making pharmacy services more accessible, making it easier for patients to access the medicines they need. It also frees up staff time from answering phone calls so they can focus on delivering first class care.
"This will also encourage more patients to download and make use of the NHS app.
"Pharmacies want to do all they can to embrace new technology and make the vital services they offer as easy and convenient as possible for patients to access.
"Many pharmacies already use tracking style technology and a number have invested in their own apps to allow this to happen."
Phil Day, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U, said: “The NHS App has become one of the main ways people manage their medicines, with a record 7.6 million repeat prescription requests made through the app in July. These prescription alerts are a welcome next step for those who don’t already receive them from their pharmacy.
“Two in three (66%) repeat prescription patients collect their medicines from a local pharmacy, and more than half of them (53%) have had to make a second trip in the past year because their prescription wasn’t ready. Knowing exactly when medication is ready will save people that frustration.
“Many people don’t realise they can avoid the trip altogether. Almost half (45%) assume home delivery costs extra, yet NHS prescriptions can be delivered to the door for free, sent out as soon as they’re ready, saving the time, cost and uncertainty of collecting in person.”
Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, also welcomed the introduction of the alerts and stressed that it helps the patients.
