Prescription tracking feature launched on the NHS App

A feature which allows patients to trace the status and readiness of their prescriptions has been released on the NHS App.

Speaking at the Health Excellence Through Technology (HETT) conference in London on 24 September 2024, Nishali Patel, clinical lead for digital medicines at NHS England, said that the prescription tracking functionality was being trialled at three community pharmacies in England.

“One of the top themes that we’ve heard back from NHS patients is that they would like to know when their medicines are ready for collection, and so as of today we have rolled out prescription tracking to three pharmacy sites as part of a proof of concept pilot,” Patel said.

She added that in 2025 patients will also be able to nominate online pharmacies via the app, in addition to high street pharmacies.

“There are a number of improvements that we would like to make to the medication ordering journey as well, to make that whole process from the point at which you order your medicine all the way through to knowing when your medicine is ready for collection to be seamless,” Patel said.

Patel told Digital Health News that at least another three community pharmacies are expected to join the pilot before October 2024 and the prescription ordering feature will be tested for a minimum of two weeks to make sure that it is technically stable.

The feature is planned to be rolled out more widely following the pilot, with at least 30% of community pharmacies in England expected to be live by April 2025, Patel said.

NHS England is working with four pharmacy dispensing suppliers on the pilot: Apotech, Invatech, Boots and Cegedim.

James Higgott, head of product – NHS App, at NHS England, told delegates at HETT, that around 8.5 million users log into the NHS App every month.

He said that within the current financial year, more features will be launched on the app, including integration with the digital health check, the ability to request proxy access, access to patient engagement boards and the capacity to send more types of messages.

Higgott also said that more messaging providers and GP online consultation tools would be integrated with the app.

The announcements follow Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the state of the NHS in England, published on 12 September 2024, which said that the app is “not delivering a ‘digital-first’ experience similar to that found in many aspects of daily life, although there is huge potential”.