Millions of folks in England are about to get some fancy “Amazon-style” updates about their prescriptions through the NHS app, thanks to the smart cookies in health officials’ camp. The goal of this snazzy new feature is to lighten the load for pharmacies by cutting down on all those pesky inquiries that really eat into their time, giving them more space to focus on taking care of patients. It turns out that nearly half of the calls that community pharmacies get are from folks wanting to know about their prescriptions.
The NHS app’s recent update lets users keep tabs on their prescriptions, making it a breeze to know when they’re good to go for pick-up or on their way to your doorstep. Dr. Vin Diwakar, the clinical transformation director at NHS England, spilled the beans, saying, “People are all about taking the wheel when it comes to their healthcare, and this new prescription tracking feature in the NHS app is just the ticket for that. You’ll be getting updates in the app almost in real-time, so you won’t have to make pointless trips or scramble to pick up your meds at the last minute.” This Amazon-esque feature is also a game-changer for pharmacists, giving them a break from all the admin stuff so they can focus on dishing out health advice and services.
Boots and around 1,500 other high street pharmacies are already on board with this cool new feature, and plans are cooking to expand it to nearly 5,000 pharmacies within the next year. Health Secretary Wes Streeting chimed in, saying, “If you can track your groceries on their journey, why not do the same for your prescriptions? By tapping into the power of modern tech, we’re saving folks time, boosting efficiency, and freeing up hardworking pharmacists to do what they do best – helping patients, not fielding status updates.” Anne Higgins, the pharmacy director at Boots, added, “For the first time, when a patient orders their prescription via the NHS app and has chosen a Boots pharmacy to sort it out, they can follow its journey every step of the way. This means no need to ring up our pharmacy team for updates, so they can focus on patients and deliver vital services like NHS Pharmacy First.”
