Overview
A new prescription tracking feature has been introduced in the NHS App, designed to minimize unnecessary calls and visits to pharmacies.
Key Details
- The service was announced by NHS England on May 23, 2025.
- Currently available at nearly 1,500 pharmacies, including all Boots locations in England.
- This represents approximately 15% of the total 9,999 community pharmacies in England.
- Plans are in place to expand the service to an additional 5,000 pharmacies within the next year, reaching 60% of pharmacies in England.
Benefits of the New Feature
Dr. Vin Diwakar, Clinical Transformation Director at NHS England, emphasized the advantages of the new feature:
- Patients can receive real-time updates on their prescription status, allowing them to avoid unnecessary trips to the pharmacy.
- The feature aims to reduce the administrative workload on pharmacists, enabling them to focus more on patient care.
- Approximately 45% of calls to community pharmacies are from patients inquiring about their prescription status, which this service aims to alleviate.
User Engagement
The NHS App currently has 37.4 million registered users, with an average of 11.4 million monthly logins. This new feature is expected to enhance user experience significantly.
Statements from Officials
Health Secretary Wes Streeting remarked:
“If patients can track the journey of their food shop, they should be able to do the same with their prescriptions. By utilizing modern technology, we are saving patients time and allowing pharmacists to focus on providing care.”
Additional Features
The prescription tracker complements another feature in the app that allows users without a nominated pharmacy to collect prescriptions using a barcode. This feature has seen an average of 2.1 million views monthly.
Future Developments
Anne Higgins, Pharmacy Director at Boots, noted:
“This new update allows patients to track their prescription’s journey, reducing the need for them to call for updates and enabling our team to provide more direct patient care.”
The prescription tracking feature was initially announced in September 2024 and has now been successfully rolled out following a pilot program.